U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) introduced on Tuesday a long-awaited bipartisan bill regarding name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights and other college sports issues. Called the “Protecting Athletes, Schools and Sports Act,” the legislation includes the creation of a national public registry to record and track NIL deals, enhanced healthcare coverage for both current and former college athletes and strict rules regarding athletes’ usage of the transfer portal. Here’s what you need to know:
- The bill would preempt state NIL laws and require a uniform NIL contract for all parties entering into a contract. It would also allow the NCAA to prohibit certain types of deals, such as those with gambling companies or alcohol brands.
- The NCAA would be in charge of enforcing and investigating such rules, but it would have the support of the Federal Trade Commission, which would handle the registration of agents and collectives as well as the national public NIL deal registry. Collectives and boosters would be required to be formally affiliated with specific schools.
- The act would guarantee health insurance for sports-related injuries for uninsured student athletes for eight years following graduation from a four-year institution. That…
