In a more than 15-minute speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) spoke against the Protect College Sports Act. He said the bill “goes too far” as he motioned for unanimous consent to pass his bill, the Student-Athlete Act.
As he gave his remarks, Tuberville had two displays on either side of him. On his right, there were five parts of the Protect College Sports Act he considers part of a “federal takeover of college sports,” including the caps on athlete compensation and “government-controlled” TV deals. On his left, Tuberville had the three main points of the Student-Athlete Act: five years of eligibility, five consecutive years and one penalty-free transfer.
Tuberville’s comments came after he sent a letter outlining his concerns he has with the bipartisan bill, which is scheduled for a markup this week. He stressed the need to prioritize athletes’ education as they go through their college careers and criticized the amount of player movement in the landscape today.
“Two weeks ago, my colleagues here rolled out a bipartisan bill that aims to fix some of these problems,” Tuberville said. “I respect the work that they put into it. I know it all too well. I know they’re trying to solve a serious and very, very hard problem. It’s almost impossible. But I think their bill goes too far.
“Trust me, if I thought it’d work, I’d support it. Unfortunately, it gets too deep into the businesses of universities, conferences, athletics departments while doing far too little to give the student-athlete the stability and clarity that, actually, they need.”
As he assessed the bill, Tuberville argued the Protect College Sports Act has “loopholes and waivers” about eligibility rules, which could open the door for more lawsuits in college athletics. He also said Congress shouldn’t be the one deciding issues such as media rights deals or conference alignments.
Maria Cantwell objects to Tommy Tuberville motion
At the end of his remarks, Tommy Tuberville said the simplicity of the Student-Athlete Act would fix problems with the transfer portal and eligibility. He then moved to ask for unanimous consent for its passage. But Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), a co-sponsor of the Protect College Sports Act, spoke next and objected.
During her response, Cantwell agreed with Tuberville in that she thinks college sports needs help. But she cited the areas in which exceptions can be granted under the Protect College Sports Act, such as pregnancy, religious missions or military service.
“I know my colleague from Alabama is trying to be well-meaning,” Cantwell said. “He has said several times tonight that my colleague and I have worked hard on this legislation. We have. We have because we believe, just like he does, that it is preserving college sports that is critical – not just for those, the 2% of the system or 3%, that might play in a sport that does generate revenue, but for the 500,000 athletes that are part of our collegiate system.
“We cannot continue to see these athlete numbers diminish. We can’t wake up and be in the next Olympics and wonder what happened to the training of our athletes, only to find out they got cut because we couldn’t end an arms race in the football spree that we are seeing today. I think that we are going to continue to push ahead on a more broad issue. For that reason, I object.”
Ted Cruz: Student-Athlete Act will not get 60 votes
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) also responded to Tuberville and made it clear he did not intend to get Congress involved in college sports. Instead, he noted the NCAA requested Congressional help. But passing both the Senate and House is a crucial part of that assistance. Cruz said Tuberville’s bill likely will not get the 60 votes necessary to get out of the Senate because it lacks Democratic support.
“To save college sports, we need a bipartisan solution that will be able to garner 60 votes here in the Senate and pass the House,” Cruz said. “Unfortunately, the bill from Sen. Tuberville is not able to achieve 60 votes. Sen. Tuberville is a friend. He loves college sports, he cares about it deeply. He spent a lifetime inspiring, coaching, teaching young men and women athletes.
“The provisions in his bill are, in significant respect, reflected in the bipartisan bill that Sen. Cantwell and I have negotiated. … The way the Senate operates, you’ve got to get 60 votes. If you can’t get 60 votes, your bill can’t pass. That means, even though I support many of the elements of Sen. Tuberville’s bill and they are included in our bill, Sen. Tuberville’s bill is not going to become law.”
