WASHINGTON, D.C. – Student athletes, coaches, professors, and presidents from universities and colleges from across the country have rallied behind the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act. The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), and FBS Athletics Directors Association have all offered their support.
Ruben Rojas Betanzos, a student athlete at Syracuse University and President of Syracuse’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), stated in his op-ed: “Congress has a role to play in bringing stability back to the system. Of the proposals under consideration, the Protect College Sports Act (PCSA) offers the most realistic path forward. It will provide greater certainty for schools and student-athletes navigating new things such as NIL and the transfer portal, and it will preserve Olympic and non-revenue sports that are an essential part of college athletics.”
John Davis, Vice President and Director of Athletics at Florida A&M University, underscored in his op-ed: “Importantly, the Protect College Sports Act recognizes that the future of college athletics cannot be built only around the nation’s wealthiest programs. The bill authorizes $180 million annually for six years — more than $1 billion — for competitive grants to HBCUs to strengthen broadband, technology, media production and sports-broadcast infrastructure. That investment would give HBCUs greater capacity to showcase their student-athletes, strengthen their athletics programs and compete in a rapidly changing college sports landscape.”
A sampling of op-eds supporting the Protect College Sports Act:
- Ruben Rojas Betanzos, student athlete, cross country, Syracuse University
- Lumpy (Liam) Deweese, student athlete, football, University of West Florida
- Sophia Stylianos, student athlete, rowing, University of Michigan
- Temple Landry, student athlete, gymnastics, Stanford University
- Henry Gibbs, student athlete, swimming and diving, Georgia Tech
- Ella Brooks, student athlete, track and field, Clemson University
- John Davis, Vice President and Director of Athletics, Florida A&M University
- Matthew Mittin, Professor of law and senior advisor at Marquette University Law School’s National Sports Law Institute
- Chicago Tribune Editorial Board
- Jerry Brewer, senior sports columnist, The Athletic
- Jay Hartzell, President, Southern Methodist University
- Dwayne Yancey, founding editor, Cardinal News
- Jay Paterno, son of Joe Paterno, head football coach, The Pennsylvania State University
- Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas)
- Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.)
Coaches, student athletes, and Senators have flooded the airwaves in strong support of the Protect College Sports Act. Watch their interviews by clicking on the images and links below:
Coach John Calipari, Arkansas University Head Basketball Coach, on CBS News, NewsNation, FOX News Radio, and NEWSMAX
Craig Robinson, Executive Director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, on NEWSMAX and NewsNation
Student athletes Ella Brooks, Henry Gibbs, Temple Landy, and Ruben Rojas Betanzos on CBS News
Coach Craig Bohl, Executive Director of the American Football Coaches Association, on NewsNation
Nick Saban, College Football Hall of Fame coach
Student athlete commercial with a voiceover by actor Matthew McConaughey
Deion Sanders, University of Colorado Football Head Coach
Student athletes remarks on the Protect College Sports Act
Coaches, including Gonzaga men’s basketball coach Mark Few, on the Protect College Sports Act
Ella Brooks, a student athlete on Clemson University’s Track and Field team, on Fox News
Senators Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) on CNN stand together in support of the Protect College Sports Act
Senator Eric Schmitt and Coach Bohl together on ABC News
Senator Capito (R-W.Va.) on Fox Business
Background
The Protect College Sports Act has the support of 32 collegiate athletic conferences, and more than 380 colleges and universities across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Additional endorsements for the bill include: the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Hockey League (NHL), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the players associations for the NFL and the NBA, the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), FBS Athletics Directors Association, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), Team USA Athletes’ Commission (Team USA AC), and National Governing Body Council (NGBC).
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