Federal legislation designed to standardize compensation rules for student athletes nationwide has drawn attention from a Texas university leader.
The SCORE Act, currently under consideration in the U.S. House of Representatives, establishes national standards for Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) compensation and regulations for agents representing college athletes.
It also prevents universities from revoking scholarships due to injury or performance, mandates that schools provide specific levels of academic support and out-of-pocket healthcare coverage for ex-athletes for up to three years after leaving school, dictates that schools have a minimum of 16 varsity teams, and places restrictions on using student fees for athletics.
This past weekend, the Southeastern Conference ran commercials during several of its football games urging Congress to pass the SCORE Act in its current form.
Cody Campbell, who chairs the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents, pushed back on a number of claims made in the ads. Campbell is also the founder of SaveCollegeSports.com.
“The ad and the website make many false claims,” stated Campbell, “the most egregious being that the SCORE Act, in its current form, is supported by every [Division 1] conference in America.”
“This is NOT true,” he continued. “In fact, the large majority of conferences and their members (including many members of the Power 4) believe that the SCORE Act needs to be amended and modified so that women’s sports, Olympic sports, smaller schools, and the Student Athletes can be protected and represented in the final solution.”
Campbell called the SCORE Act “a good start” but urged continued work.
Several Texas lawmakers at both the state and federal levels backed Campbell.
State Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe) echoed Campbell, stating that as the author of Texas’ NIL law, he believes all student athletes need comprehensive solutions, not inadequate measures that disadvantage many.
Creighton was recently named the sole finalist for the chancellorship of the Texas Tech University System.
Texas Congressmen Lance Gooden and Chip Roy also agreed with Campbell’s sentiments that the SCORE Act contains insufficient protections for women’s sports and Olympic sports.
