Former President Donald Trump is pressing Congress to pass the Protect College Sports Act before the upcoming recess, stating that the bill "has to get done" and that he would sign it immediately.
Trump made the remarks Thursday at a White House event honoring Team USA athletes from the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. He highlighted the role of the collegiate athletic system in American Olympic success, noting that 88% of the Team USA representatives in those Games were products of this system. "I’m urging the House and the Senate to come together, bipartisan if possible and it looks like they have done, to send the bill to my desk and I will sign it," Trump said. "We have no choice. We have to get that done. If we don’t, we’re very foolish."
The Protect College Sports Act, which has bipartisan support and is being lobbied for by NCAA officials, aims to provide the NCAA with enhanced antitrust legal protections. It also seeks to establish a uniform framework for college athletics concerning Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) compensation and the transfer portal.
Despite broad support, the bill has encountered hurdles in the Senate. On Thursday, three Republican senators—Josh Hawley of Missouri, Jim Banks of Indiana, and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama—introduced an amendment. This amendment is intended to prevent the bill from overriding state laws that prohibit biological males from competing in women's sports. The senators expressed concern that the current draft of the bill could preempt state laws, such as Missouri's, that address this issue.
"I’ve reviewed the current draft of the Senate NIL bill and I am very concerned it PREEMPTS Missouri’s law banning men in women’s sports," Senator Hawley stated on X. "This is what [Riley Gaines] has been saying. Big, big problem."
Trump's administration issued a statement reaffirming his support for the act, emphasizing the need for federal legislation to address the "significant legal and financial uncertainty" facing college sports. The statement argued that legislative action is crucial to resolve statutory ambiguities, ensure liability protection and uniform standards, and halt ongoing litigation, thereby providing stability and fairness for student-athletes.
The Senate is scheduled to begin a five-week recess on Friday. It remains to be seen whether the Protect College Sports Act will be among the items addressed before lawmakers adjourn.