Coaches, university leaders and athletes lay out goals of Protect College Sports Act

A panel of coaches, university leaders and student-athletes opened a briefing on the Protect College Sports Act, which the moderator described as an effort to set national standards and shield schools and athletes from constant litigation.

The moderator said the bill is meant to "restore order to a system that is collapsing due to too few rules and too much litigation," and listed its aims: "It preserves real NIL opportunities for student athletes. It protects student athletes. It creates national standards on transfers, eligibility, tampering, inducements, and revenue sharing," and would give schools "the ability to enforce rules without being sued every time." The moderator characterized the risk of an "unregulated bidding war" as particularly harmful to athletes and institutions with the least leverage.

The moderator framed the measure as protecting opportunity and equity, saying college sports remain a pathway "to a degree, to a career, to financial literacy, to leadership, and to a better life" for many students, including first-generation college students. The moderator added that the bill is intended to protect the "entire college sports ecosystem, not just the schools at the top of the revenue ladder," explicitly citing "women's sports, Olympic sports, HBCUs, regional public universities" and student-athletes who need "medical protection, scholarship protection, academic support, honest NIL rules, and a real path to graduation."

The moderator then introduced the panelists who will provide views and firsthand experience: Coach Felisha Leggett-Jack, introduced as head women's basketball coach at Syracuse University and a former All-American who was named ACC Coach of the Year in 2024; Charles Huff, introduced as head football coach at the University of Memphis with prior stops at Marshall, Southern Mississippi, Alabama and Penn State; Derek Mason, introduced as head football coach at Middle Tennessee State University and a former Vanderbilt coach; Vice Admiral J. W. Crawford III, introduced as president of Texas Southern University since 2024 with prior military and legal experience; Sherika Montgomery, introduced as commissioner of the Big South Conference (appointed in 2023); and student-athletes Sarah Bauer (University of Akron, soccer) and Gannon Flynn (Boston University, swimming and diving), both described as active in student-athlete leadership and advocacy.

No formal motions or votes were recorded in the provided transcript; the segment consisted of opening remarks and panel introductions. The panelists' credentials and the moderator's summary of the bill's provisions set the agenda for subsequent discussion about how national standards and athlete protections would be implemented and enforced.

The briefing emphasized the bill's stated goals of preserving NIL opportunities and establishing enforceable, uniform rules to protect athletes across varied institutions. The next procedural step—whether the panel will take questions, offer testimony, or the committee will consider a markup—was not specified in the transcript.