Senate Negotiators Offer $20M-Plus Player Pool as College Sports Bill Faces Aug. 7 Deadline
Updated
Updated · abcnews.com · Jul 29
Senate Negotiators Offer $20M-Plus Player Pool as College Sports Bill Faces Aug. 7 Deadline
1 articles · Updated · abcnews.com · Jul 29
Summary
$20 million-plus in new player retention money emerged as senators' biggest concession in talks with the SEC and Big Ten over the Protect College Sports Act.
That pool would effectively double schools' current $21.3 million revenue-sharing cap, but the conferences want clarity on whether it would alter rules for third-party player payments blamed for rising roster costs.
The proposal also raises questions about compatibility with the $2.8 billion House settlement governing revenue sharing, with plaintiffs' lawyer Jeffrey Kessler saying he needs to review the language.
Absent from the draft concessions were antitrust protections and federal preemption of state laws—two core demands from the NCAA and major conferences—as sponsors Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell push for a Senate vote before Aug. 7.