Cruz, Cantwell seek bipartisan college sports bill to rein in NIL chaos

Congress is trying to stop college sports from being governed by lawsuits, boosters and the transfer portal. Ted Cruz, Maria Cantwell, Eric Schmitt and Chris Coons reached a bipartisan agreement on May 27 on the Protect College Sports Act of 2026, a proposal meant to replace the current patchwork with one national framework.

The bill would reach well beyond NIL. It would regulate payments to players, limit athletes to one free transfer in their careers and impose a so-called Lane Kiffin Rule to restrict coach movement during the season. It would also give the NCAA a narrow antitrust exemption over transfers and eligibility, while creating a College Sports Commission and an Office of the Student Athlete Ombudsman to enforce the new system. Senate Commerce Committee materials say the measure also covers medical coverage, health and safety standards, recruitment and tampering, whistleblower protections and a private right of action.

The fight now is over leverage. Athletes would gain clearer national protections and a formal ombudsman, but the bill would also lock in limits on movement and eligibility that could constrain player power just as the transfer market has exploded. Schools and conferences would get a more predictable system, plus a chance to pool media rights in certain circumstances under an amended Sports Broadcasting Act. At the same time, the proposal would freeze conference membership in some cases and curb the realignment scramble that has already pushed the SEC, Big Ten, ACC, Big 12 and Pac-12 into a more aggressive chase for revenue and reach.

The timing reflects how far college sports has already moved toward a quasi-professional model. The House v. NCAA settlement was approved on June 6, 2025, opening the door for schools to share revenue directly with athletes. The 2025-26 cap is $20.5 million per school, and the College Sports Commission said it had cleared more than 17,000 NIL deals worth more than $127 million through NIL Go as of Dec. 31, 2025. In March 2026, Cantwell and Schmitt said pooled media rights could produce more than $9 billion in new revenue.

The proposal could settle some of the chaos, but it also risks hard-coding today’s conflicts into federal law. Boosters would face a tighter system, conferences would gain structure, and schools would get a legal shield. The larger question is whether Congress is creating durable rules for a broken marketplace or simply choosing which side gets the stronger hand.