“For them to get the cooperation from us, they’re going to have to change some of their practices,” says Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), a sponsor of the bill. “The NCAA feels urgency and needs to get federal cooperation. I’m going to make sure that we also are able to change NCAA practices that undermine the students’ education, well-being and basic first amendment rights.”
"Booker, a former college football player himself at Stanford, intends for the bill of rights to be rolled into federal NIL legislation already in the works in both chambers. He suggests that some Congressional support for NIL may hinge on the support for the bill of rights proposal, which as of now does not include Republican backing. “The way the Senate works…. the NCAA has come asking for significant authorities (with NIL). We are a body that works… they are not going to get something done if it’s not bipartisan.”
• The proposal expands on the ways in which a college player can earn money, expanding well beyond NIL. Athletes would be allowed to enter group licensing deals, such as apparel clothing lines or the NCAA video game, and they could enter revenue-sharing agreements with athletic associations, conferences and their own schools. The NCAA and Power 5, strongly opposed to such freedoms, have restricted athletes from all of the above in its NIL proposed drafts—both of which SI has obtained.
• The legislation also calls for banning all restrictions and penalties attached to athletes’ school choice, from originally signing with a program to transferring among them. This could create what many college coaches and administrators would describe as “free agency.” Under current rules, players are bound to a school by signing a National Letter of Intent, and they must miss a year of eligibility when transferring to another program within FBS. However, that transfer rule is expected in January to be amended to allow players to transfer once without penalty.
• The bill of rights would also create an “oversight panel” to give athletes representation. The commission, led by current and former college athletes, policy experts, academics and administration officials, would “level the playing field by establishing baseline rules that govern college sports,” the statement says.
• The proposal also provides athletes with “lifetime scholarships” to return to campus post-eligibility to complete their education, enforces evidence-based health standards to keep players safe amid the COVID-19 pandemic and increases financial assistance for athletes suffering from long-term injury or virus-related health issues. Under current regulations, Power 5 programs are required to care for athletes’ medical woes at least two years after they leave the university.
• In a final requirement, the bill of rights seeks to hold schools more accountable of their internal finances, requiring each to provide detailed annual public reporting of their revenue and expenses. College athletic departments are notoriously secretive and often lack transparency. Each school does provide a detailed financial document to the NCAA annually that is available through public records requests. The legislation would also demand that schools report on athlete activities, specifically their hours spent on workouts, film study, travel, etc."
