Alabama & Auburn release joint statement to oppose the Protect College Sports Act

The University of Alabama and Auburn University released a joint statement Monday in opposition to the Protect College Sports Act.

In a statement, the universities revealed they feel the bill will do the opposite of stabilizing college athletics because it:

– Undermine implementation and enforcement of the rules established under the House settlement, including by narrowing the disclosure and enforcement tools needed to hold every program to the same standards;

–  Allow for new litigation undercutting efforts to create uniformity and consistency in rulemaking and enforcement on the national level because of inadequate antitrust protection and preemption standards too narrow to displace the current patchwork of conflicting state laws, while simultaneously creating new forms of liability through expanded private rights of action;-

– Establish an expansive federal program—reaching into roster decisions, game scheduling, and internal governance-to micromanage college athletics; and

– Advance private-equity interests, who stand to profit from a redistribution of media-rights revenue, by pressuring institutions to involuntarily pool media rights in a way that punishes success rather than rewarding it.

The overview of the Protect College Sports Act is below:

“On May 27, 2026, a bipartisan group of senators introduced the Protect College Sports Act of 2026, which establishes a comprehensive federal framework governing collegiate athletics, focusing on Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights, athlete protections, and competitive fairness. The Act effectively codifies provisions of the House settlement (see previous alerts here and here), preempts the current patchwork of state NIL laws with a uniform national standard, and provides a limited antitrust exemption that permits regulation of certain aspects of college sports as set forth in the Act. This includes college athlete NIL, a revenue share cap, transfers, tampering, eligibility, and enforcement of sanctions on institutions and individuals who violate rules consistent with the Act. Title I of the Act addresses protections for college athletes and fair competition and Title II of the Act addresses media rights and broadcasting.”