In mid-November, as the College Football Playoff race begins to take shape, much of the industry will also be watching what happens in Washington, D.C. with the Protect College Sports Act. The House of Representatives is due to return Nov. 9, six days after the midterm elections.
The bipartisan bill faces pressure after advancing out of the Senate late last month. If it does not pass, though, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said the conference is ready to discuss the next steps for the college sports landscape.
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Speaking with CBS Sports at SEC basketball media day, Sankey reiterated the conference’s support of the bill as it’s currently written. While the conference has discussed self-governance in the past, he acknowledged it could come up again if the Protect College Sports Act does not pass.
“I think we have a responsibility to try to support [the bill] because we do need national standards,” Sankey told CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander. “And conference-by-conference governance could be a reality. Where we’ve had to clarify our existing policies, we’ve done that. And where we have to think about our own policies – which we’ve had in the past. This isn’t some novel approach that just emerged. I can actually go through, like, NFL and NBA players … who didn’t meet our standards 15 years ago and didn’t play here.
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“So we can go back towards that direction. We have to work within [House] settlement terms, as it relates to revenue-share, name, image, and likeness oversight. We have to do a better job there. But if the ‘if’ were to be reality, there is no Congressional action, I think we’re prepared to engage in the kind of discussion that you’ve asked about, which is how do we regulate effectively within the context of our 16 universities?”
The Protect College Sports Act advanced out of the Senate by a 77-22 vote, becoming the first college athletics-related legislation to receive a full floor vote in either chamber. While Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has expressed hope the House will return early to take up the bill, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) indicated that might not be the case.
Brett Yormark: Goal is for House to take up PCSA ‘as is’
Both Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti and Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark have expressed optimism the Protect College Sports Act will pass and become law. But Yormark noted the timeline for the bill during a recent appearance on Bloomberg’s “Business of Sport” podcast.
If the House does not return from the trail, it would be in session for seven total days before returning Nov. 30. From there, the last day of the session is scheduled for Dec. 17. Amendments to the bill are expected, as Ross Dellenger reported for On3.
If the House makes changes to the legislation, though, the Senate has to ratify them. As a result, Yormark said changes might have to be at a minimum, though the bill hits about “80%” of the issues facing college athletics.
“I think right now, when it goes to the House, given the timing of what happens – and obviously, we’ll address it in the House after the midterms. Possibly before, but I don’t think that’ll happen. I’m not sure we can entertain many changes,” Yormark said.
“I think if you can get 80% of it right, we’ve landed in a great spot. And our goal is hopefully for the House to take it as is. Obviously, that’ll require some work and conversation, but that’s the scenario we’re hoping for.”