NCAA chief to testify before Congress as lawmakers weigh new college athlete regs

NCAA President Charlie Baker and Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti are set to testify before the Senate next week to decide the future of college sports for student athletes, ESPN reports.

They will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee after Baker and several others have asked Congress to draft a federal law that would allow the NCAA to regulate how athletes make money with the selling of athletes’ name, image and likeness (NIL) rights.

Several college athletes who spoke with The Hill in August were largely in favor of creating legislation. While the NCAA’s updated NIL policy has provided an opportunity for students to earn from their skills in recent years, many fear that if it’s unregulated, it will become an increasing bidding war.

A bill regulating NIL rights would first have to make it through the Senate Commerce Committee, but the Judiciary Committee, which oversees antitrust laws and intellectual property rights, would have some influence over the bill, according to ESPN.

No bill has made it past the preliminary discussion.

Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) unveiled legislation in July that would establish a national standard for NIL rights, two years after the Supreme Court decided that restricting student athlete compensation violated the Sherman Act, an antitrust law.

The bill would give the NCAA oversight over NIL, make changes to the transfer portal and require some schools to offer health insurance to athletes after graduating.

Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) also introduced draft legislation that establishes a third-party entity to oversee the rules.

Petitti and Baker, the former governor of Massachusetts, will testify before the committee Tuesday in the Name, Image and Likeness and the Future of College Sports hearing.