TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Florida university leaders are asking Congress to take a timeout and call some audibles in the college sports legislation that could pass the Senate as soon as this week.
Athletic directors and other top officials in the college-sports-crazed Sunshine State see the proposal, the country's most substantial attempt yet to govern this chaotic athletics marketplace, as "progress over perfection" — a potential shift they welcome yet hope will evolve in the Senate or eventually the House.
Notably, they are apprehensive about how the legislation could put schools in purgatory if they want to switch athletic conferences, and they're unsure about the idea of capping the number of colleges in those conferences. They also want more guardrails around third-party name, image and likeness deals they contend schools are using to funnel money to student athletes.
With senators positioned to possibly vote soon on the so-called Protect College Sports Act, the state university system's Board of Governors is sensing it's time to kick off on lobbying the Florida delegation. And there appears to be an open channel, as some Florida athletic directors spoke Monday night with Florida Sens. Ashley Moody and Rick Scott about the bill. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) released a new version of their legislation Tuesday after weeks of negotiations with the largest athletics conferences and the Trump administration, as Cruz remains adamant about passing the bipartisan measure before senators leave for August recess at the end of this week.
"Getting something done in Congress is difficult; changing it later is going to be really difficult," Keith Perry, a former GOP state lawmaker serving on the Board of Governors, said Tuesday during an athletics task force meeting. "The only opportunity, really, to have any kind of influence is there now."
#athletics #congress
Athletic directors and other top officials in the college-sports-crazed Sunshine State see the proposal, the country's most substantial attempt yet to govern this chaotic athletics marketplace, as "progress over perfection" — a potential shift they welcome yet hope will evolve in the Senate or eventually the House.
Notably, they are apprehensive about how the legislation could put schools in purgatory if they want to switch athletic conferences, and they're unsure about the idea of capping the number of colleges in those conferences. They also want more guardrails around third-party name, image and likeness deals they contend schools are using to funnel money to student athletes.
With senators positioned to possibly vote soon on the so-called Protect College Sports Act, the state university system's Board of Governors is sensing it's time to kick off on lobbying the Florida delegation. And there appears to be an open channel, as some Florida athletic directors spoke Monday night with Florida Sens. Ashley Moody and Rick Scott about the bill. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) released a new version of their legislation Tuesday after weeks of negotiations with the largest athletics conferences and the Trump administration, as Cruz remains adamant about passing the bipartisan measure before senators leave for August recess at the end of this week.
"Getting something done in Congress is difficult; changing it later is going to be really difficult," Keith Perry, a former GOP state lawmaker serving on the Board of Governors, said Tuesday during an athletics task force meeting. "The only opportunity, really, to have any kind of influence is there now."
#athletics #congress
3 months ago
