College Sports Just Got Its Biggest Washington Shakeup Yet

In a bipartisan vote on Monday night, the U.S. Senate passed the Protect College Sports Act, an overhaul of college sports that aims to put extra cash in student-athletes’ pockets and rein in boosters and job-hopping coaches while leaving state bans on men in women’s sports intact.

By an overwhelming 77-22 margin, lawmakers passed the bill, which was spearheaded by Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz and Washington Democrat Sen. Maria Cantwell.

“College sports were headed off a cliff: endless lawsuits, no rules, and women’s and Olympic sports on the chopping block,” Cruz celebrated on X shortly after the blowout vote. “Tonight, 77 Senators said enough. … Now, it goes to the House. Let’s get this to President Trump’s desk before Election Day, on the set of College Gameday.”

If the bill becomes law, athletic departments will be opening their vaults. Under the legislation, the cap on direct athlete pay will more than double, jumping from the roughly $21 million allowed under recent court settlements up to $48 million per school. That includes a $22.5 million fund to retain existing stars and another $5 million set aside specifically for women’s and Olympic sports.

“The legislation would grant the NCAA an antitrust exemption — a rarity! — to limit athlete transfer movement (one transfer without penalty); standardize a five-year eligibility policy; more strictly regulate a new, increased player revenue-share cap; create an agent registry with a maximum 5% fee,” Yahoo Sports noted.

Third-party name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals are legal, but to stop boosters from using marketing deals to dodge salary caps, all third-party contracts over $600 must be turned over to a new public database.

Other key issues include the “Lane Kiffin Rule,” which says head coaches and top coordinators who jump ship can’t start calling plays for another FBS program during the same season, or they will be suspended for a year.

The bill caps eligibility at five years within a five-year window, effectively banning anyone over the age of 24. It also caps agent endorsement commission at 5%. It also guarantees athletes scholarship support for 10 years after their eligibility ends so they can finish their degrees, bars athletic staff from pressuring players over their choice of courses or majors, and requires Division I schools to cover out-of-pocket medical costs for sports-related injuries for five years after an athlete’s final competition.

Most importantly, the bill leaves intact the state bans on trans-identifying male athletes in women’s sports.

Critics of the measure — who include several prominent women’s sports activists — have raised concerns about the exemption granted to the NCAA, arguing that it opens the door for NCAA rules regarding student eligibility. A recent federal court ruling lends credence to their worries, as United States District Judge Tiffany R. Johnson — appointed in 2024 by then-President Joe Biden — dismissed a case brought by former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines.

In Gaines v. NCAA, the plaintiffs argued that the NCAA should be held accountable for allowing biological men to participate in women’s competitions and enter women’s locker rooms. Judge Johnson accepted the NCAA’s argument that the governing body was not bound by Title IX to prevent that from happening.

“The NCAA’s refusal to recognize its responsibility to uphold women’s rights means the NCAA cannot be trusted to regulate anyone’s sports — men’s or women’s,” former NCAA swimmer and Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS) Co-Founder Marshi Smith said. “The NCAA cannot be trusted to receive broad new powers that it will only use to inflict further harm upon women.”

House members aren’t scheduled to return until November 9, after the midterm elections. The Congressional Black Caucus has publicly opposed it, and Freedom Caucus members are expected to raise concerns. Any House changes would then need Senate approval again.

The House has until January 3 to sign off on the bill, or it dies.

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