Two Republican congressmen introduced a bill Wednesday that would give the NCAA, college conferences and member schools federal protection from legal challenges that hamper their ability to govern college sports.
The Protect The Ball Act is sponsored by Rep. Russell Fry (R-Ala.) and Rep. Barry Moore (R-Ala.) and aims to provide a safe legal harbor for entities that run college sports, which have been under siege. of antitrust lawsuits. Fry and Moore are members of the House Judiciary Committee.
The NCAA and Power Four conferences are considering a deal that could cost billions. House v. NCAA seeks damages for college athletes who were denied the right to earn money from endorsement and endorsement deals dating back to 2016, five years before the NCAA lifted its ban on name, image compensation and similarity.
Almost as problematic for the NCAA are recent lawsuits filed by states attacking some of the association's most basic rules related to recruiting incentives and multiple transfers.
The Protect the Ball Act would give the NCAA protection from litigation and allow the association and conferences to regulate aspects such as recruiting, eligibility standards and how college athletes are compensated for their name, image and likeness.
“The NIL rules are constantly changing, highly litigated and essentially unenforceable, causing confusion and chaos for everyone involved,” Fry said. “We must establish a nationwide liability shield to protect schools, student-athletes and conferences as they navigate this new set of circumstances. This legislation is an integral component to saving college sports as we know it.”
College sports leaders have been asking Congress for help regulating how athletes can be paid for NIL for several years, although NCAA President Charlie Baker and others have recently shifted emphasis to preventing college athletes from being considered employees.
The court settlement being considered would create a revenue-sharing system for college athletes, but the NCAA and conferences would still need help from federal lawmakers to protect them from future lawsuits and possibly create special status for college athletes.
“It is imperative that we soon reach a uniform standard of rules around competition and I am very pleased to see that our engagement efforts in Congress are being heard and action is being taken,” said former Oklahoma State softball player Morgyn Wynne, who also served as co-chair of the NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
At least seven bills have been introduced (some simply as discussion drafts) by lawmakers in both the House and Senate since 2020, but none have gained traction.
The Ball Protection Act is a narrow bill intended to support broader legislation that would create a national standard for NIL compensation in college sports.
