Senators, coaches and athletes tell Senate Commerce hearing the Protect College Sports Act would set national standards on NIL, transfers and agents

At a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing, senators and a panel of coaches, university leaders and student athletes outlined how the Protect College Sports Act would create national standards on name, image and likeness (NIL), transfers, eligibility and agent conduct to limit what they called a chaotic, litigation-driven environment.

"The Protect College Sports Act is about restoring order to a system that is collapsing due to too few rules and too much litigation," Senator Cruz said, arguing the bill would preserve NIL opportunities while giving schools tools to enforce rules without being sued every time they act.

Panelists said the bill aims to protect the broad college-sports ecosystem — not only the highest-revenue programs. Vice Admiral J.W. Crawford III, president of Texas Southern University, said the measure would let institutions "plan, project and support the athlete" and warned that unchecked transfer mobility can produce academic discontinuity that undermines degree completion.

Coaches described practical day-to-day effects. Syracuse women's basketball head Coach Felisa Leot Jack said current dynamics feel like "a game with no borders" and that restoring consistent transfer and eligibility rules would let teams develop student athletes over multi-year careers. University of Memphis head Coach Charles Huff said agents are "preying on the naivete of student athletes," reporting instances where agents charged up to "35%," and urged registration and oversight of representatives.

Senators and panelists pointed to specific bill provisions: a 5% cap on agent compensation and a registry for agents, plus national standards intended to reduce state-by-state fragmentation and the cascade of court challenges that have altered NCAA rules. Commissioner Sherekica Montgomery (Big South Conference) said the patchwork of state laws across North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia has widened competitive gaps and that a federal framework would bring stability for programs and their roughly 4,300 student athletes in her conference.

Student athletes emphasized the academic stakes. Sarah Bower, a student athlete at the University of Arcan, said, "We really emphasize that we're students first before athletes," and urged protections for scholarships and degree progress. Boston University swimmer Ganon Flynn described the transfer portal as "the wild west," noting not all credits transfer and that repeated moves can make degree completion impossible.

The bill also includes a media-pooling mechanism intended to grow the overall revenue pie; panelists said greater total revenue could be distributed to Olympic and women’s sports if a sufficient percentage of entities opt in. Commissioner Montgomery noted the proposal's opt-in threshold (75%) is one element institutions are still evaluating.

Senators framed the measure as a bipartisan compromise intended to balance protections and restrictions. Cruz said the bill is "the only train leaving the station" he believes can reach enactment and challenged critics to propose an alternative with a viable path to passage.

Panelists warned that doing nothing risks more lawsuits, state-by-state rules, an intensifying bidding arms race and erosion of non‑revenue sports and HBCU competitiveness. They urged Congress to act, saying the bill's combination of agent limits, transfer and eligibility standards, and mechanisms to grow shared revenue could preserve the college-sports culture and the academic opportunities it supports.

The hearing closed with senators and panelists emphasizing the bill's goal: stabilize college athletics so student athletes across revenue tiers can pursue degrees and compete under predictable, enforceable rules.