Sen. Tuberville votes against Protect College Sports Act
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
Senator Tommy Tuberville was the sole Republican to oppose a procedural vote moving the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act forward, citing excessive government involvement.
The Senate advanced a procedural measure on Tuesday that brings the Protect College Sports Act one step closer to a final vote, potentially as early as next week. The bill, co-sponsored by Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell, seeks to curb rising spending, litigation and unrestricted transfers in college athletics.
Senator Tommy Tuberville, a former football coach, broke with most of his party and voted no, saying the proposal involves "too much government involvement," according to a POLITICO report. Cantwell described the vote’s lopsided outcome as making her "cautiously optimistic" about House passage, noting previous attempts to pass a similar measure had failed.
All four Black Democratic senators—Cory Booker, Raphael Warnock, Lisa Blunt Rochester and Angela Alsobrooks—also voted against the bill, and the NAACP has expressed opposition. Support comes from several high-profile sports figures, including retired coach Nick Saban, Deion Sanders, John Calipari and Mark Few, who argue the legislation would bring stability to college sports.
The act would codify a 22% cap on revenue sharing with athletes, create a $27.5 million retention pool for schools, allow conferences to pool TV rights, limit players to one free transfer without a sit-out year, and enforce a five-year eligibility limit. While the SEC and Big Ten have indicated they would not join a media-rights pool, proponents claim it could generate $4-8 billion in additional revenue.
Cantwell and Cruz introduced the bill in May after a report highlighted a $519.9 million increase in institutional and government support for Power-Four athletic programs between 2015 and 2025. The legislation is seen by some lawmakers as a timely opportunity before the upcoming election cycle, with Republicans holding a narrow Senate majority and Democrats aiming to gain control in the November midterms.
"We’re going to get one shot at this, and I don’t know if we ever will again soon," co-sponsor Senator Eric Schmitt said ahead of the vote, adding that the bill could "define the trajectory of college athletics."