As Congress debates college sports, athletes-turned-senators have a seat at the table

The bipartisan Protect College Sports Act gets a Senate vote Monday, expected to pass with 70-plus votes, and roughly half a dozen senators who played college sports are shaping the debate. The bill would give the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption to restore the five-year eligibility rule and one-time free transfer, raise schools' direct payments to athletes from about $21 million to $49 million, crack down on NIL deals, cap agent pay, and limit big conferences to 19 schools. Former coach-turned-senator Tommy Tuberville flipped from opposition to support because the bill restores eligibility rules, while ex-Stanford football player Cory Booker votes against it, arguing it protects coach and school spending rather than athletes. Even if it passes, the bill faces an uncertain future in the House, which is on recess until after the November midterms.