The NFL is pushing Congress to pass the Protect College Sports Act, even though the SEC opposes it. Senator Ted Cruz introduced the bill to oversee college football, but the SEC’s powerhouse conference dislikes its loopholes and mandatory media pooling. Still, the NFL backs the senator’s plan fully.

On Tuesday, the NFLPA and NBAPA backed the Protect College Sports Act, according to Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger. The NFLPA and NBAPA jointly drafted a letter to Chairman Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell. The legislation would give the NCAA more control, set rules for TV deals, offer protection from certain lawsuits, and curb conference expansion that concentrates talent and TV revenue.

The bill aims to curb SEC and Big Ten expansion, with both conferences attempting to consolidate talent and TV revenue, threatening to create a two-tier system where everyone else is left behind. The goal of the bill is to stop this by creating one clear national rulebook and taking control away from individual conference leaders.

One of the biggest issues in the bill, and the main reason the NFL supports it, is “media rights pooling.” The NFL pools TV revenue equally, which is a model the bill would require college conferences to adopt. But the SEC and Big Ten don’t like this idea. They prefer to make their own huge TV deals and don’t want to be forced to share their money with smaller conferences.

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey told conference members that the SEC and Big Ten aren’t opposed to media pooling, but flagged legal risks in the current proposal.

“We are not opposed to other conferences and universities exploring and opting into media pooling,” Sankey told conference members this week. Yet Sankey flagged legal risks in the current proposal.

“However, the media pooling, as written, exposes the SEC to potential lawsuits, forcing the conference into the media pooling practice. … It forces the SEC and Big Ten to either play intra-conference postseason tournaments or play only other non-pooling conferences or universities in the postseason to replace the [College Football Playoff].”

In one way, this Protect College Sports Act makes sense.

Why Many Believe the Bill Is Necessary

However, in their joint letter, the unions praised the bill for protecting an athlete’s federal right to make money from NIL without schools or the NCAA interfering. The bill also adds strict medical and healthcare rules. Colleges would have to cover sports injuries and illnesses, and also provide healthcare support for up to five years after an athlete leaves school.

The bill also tries to protect smaller sports. Universities earning over $80 million annually cannot cut women’s or Olympic sports. These schools also could not reduce team sizes or reduce financial aid below 2024–25 levels.

The bill also protects smaller sports: universities earning over $80 million annually cannot cut women’s or Olympic sports. This stops schools from funding only football and basketball while cutting Olympic sports. It also sets a five-year limit on college eligibility and stops former pro athletes from coming back to play in college.

Now everything comes down to votes this Thursday in the Senate Commerce Committee. The 28 members will debate the 111-page bill and decide if it moves forward to the full Senate. Lawmakers are determined to push it forward. They said they will move forward and intend to pass it regardless of whether the SEC or Big Ten ever agrees to it. With the NFL and the major pro unions officially picking a side, the pressure is higher than ever on college sports executives to fall in line before the government takes over their sandbox.