S. 4668
Protect College Sports Act of 2026
Official summary
Written by the Congressional Research Service.
Protect College Sports Act of 2026
This bill establishes requirements for name, image, or likeness (NIL) agreements for college student athletes and provides a limited antitrust exemption for schools and conferences to pool and sell certain college sports media rights. The requirements address elements of the court-approved agreement to settle In re College Athlete NIL Litigation (i.e., House settlement).
First, the bill statutorily prohibits institutions, conferences, or interstate intercollegiate athletic associations (e.g., the National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA]) from restricting student athletes from entering NIL agreements (subject to specified limitations). Students must report to their institution NIL compensation greater than $600.
The bill requires agents to register with a state and caps agent endorsement contract fees at 5%.
The bill also provides student athletes with one transfer without losing athletic eligibility and restricts football personnel from becoming the head football coach at a different institution during the same season.
Further, the bill prohibits institutions, conferences, or specified entities acting for the benefit of an institution from providing athletes with compensation that circumvents the limit on sharing revenue with student athletes established under the House settlement. The bill also makes the limit permanent and provides for an annual inflation adjustment.
The bill generally prohibits Division I conferences from reducing the number of varsity or Olympic sports teams that a member institution must sponsor. Specifically, large institutions ($80 million or more in annual athletics revenue) must offer and maintain at least as many grant-in-aid opportunities and roster spots for sports that do not generate positive net revenue as the institution provided during academic year 2024-25. The bill provides for a waiver of this requirement under certain circumstances of financial hardship and the requirements expire nine years after the enactment of the bill.
Additionally, the bill establishes (subject to specified conditions) a limited antitrust exemption for institutions or conferences that form joint agreements to transfer their sports telecasting rights to a third party. Such an agreement requires participation from at least 75% of the institutions in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Text of the bill
I Protections of student athletes and fair competition
Where this section came from
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Jun 2, 2026 · Introduced in Senate Referred to Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Jun 2
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Sep 28, 2026 · Engrossed in Senate S.Amdt. 6779: To improve the bill. Official page › S.Amdt. 6777: To improve the bill. Official page › S.Amdt. 6776: In the nature of a substitute. Official page › S.Amdt. 6831: To modify the prohibition on certain conference mergers and acquisitions. Official page › S.Amdt. 6830: To require the disclosure of foreign financing of intercollegiate athletics. Official page › S.Amdt. 6828: To modify the provision relating to the relationship of this Act to existing law. Official page › On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed — Cloture on the Motion to Proceed Agreed to, 74–24 · Roll Call 235On the Motion to Proceed — Motion to Proceed Agreed to, 77–22 · Roll Call 236On the Cloture Motion — Cloture Motion Agreed to, 70–21 · Roll Call 240On the Amendment — Amendment Agreed to, 77–23 · Roll Call 242On the Cloture Motion — Cloture Motion Agreed to, 74–25 · Roll Call 243On the Amendment — Amendment Agreed to, 96–1 · Roll Call 245On the Amendment — Amendment Rejected, 1–94 · Roll Call 246On the Amendment — Amendment Rejected, 42–54 · Roll Call 247On the Amendment — Amendment Rejected, 49–50 · Roll Call 248On the Amendment — Amendment Rejected, 47–52 · Roll Call 249On Passage of the Bill — Bill Passed, 77–22 · Roll Call 250
… 23 unchanged passages …
(1) an intercollegiate athletic association
, conference, institution, or State
from establishing additional health, wellness, and safety standards to protect student athletes
;
, including additional sexual assault, sexual misconduct, and sexual harassment standards in addition to those specified in subsection (b);
or
… 1 unchanged passage …
(g) Intercollegiate athletic association oversight. An intercollegiate athletic association shall take reasonable actions to ensure that its member institutions comply with this section.
(a) Establishment of standards. Not later than 270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, each institution, conference, and intercollegiate athletic association shall adhere to standards to protect student athletes from sports-related serious injury, conditions, and death, including—
(1) brain injury, by adhering to the concussion management practices, protocols, and legislation of the National Collegiate Athletic Association effective January 15, 2024, and as amended to strengthen protections for student athletes;
(2) heat-related illness, by adhering to the American College of Sports Medicine Expert Consensus Statement on Exertional Heat Illness: Recognition, Management, and Return to Activity (April 2023), and as amended to strengthen protections for student athletes;
(3) rhabdomyolysis, in accordance with the guidelines of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for exertional rhabdomyolysis published in 2025, and as amended to strengthen protections for student athletes; and
(4) for any student athlete who is identified with—
(A) sickle cell trait, by following the guidelines published by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 2025, and as amended to strengthen protections for student athletes; and
(B) asthma, by following the guidelines of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Position Statement: Management of Asthma in Athletes (September 2005), and as amended to strengthen protections for student athletes.
(b) Measures To prevent, assess, and remediate abuse or misconduct. Each institution, conference, and intercollegiate athletic association shall take reasonable actions to prevent, assess, and remediate—
(1) abuse or hazing of any student athlete, including physical and sexual abuse; and
(2) sexual assault, sexual misconduct, and sexual harassment.
(c) Provision of information on contact for Student Athlete Ombudsman
(1) Intercollegiate athletic association. An intercollegiate athletic association shall provide to student athletes information on how to contact the Office of the Student Athlete Ombudsman, as established in section 108, on the internet website of the association.
(2) Institution. At the beginning of each academic year, an institution shall provide to student athletes information on how to locate the website specified under paragraph (1) or a link to the website and information on how to contact the Office of the Student Athlete Ombudsman, as established in section 108.
(d) Athletic health and safety officers
(1) In general. Each institution shall designate an employee, who is independent of the athletic department, as the athletic health and safety officer for the institution.
(2) Reporting. The athletic health and safety officer designated under paragraph (1) shall report to an employee of the institution who is independent of the athletic department.
(3) Officer responsibilities. An employee who is designated by an institution under paragraph (1) as an athletic health and safety officer shall be responsible for, at a minimum—
(A) overseeing implementation of the applicable requirements the institution is subject to under this section, including any applicable training, oversight practices, policies, and procedures; and
(B) consulting with student athletes and athletic department personnel and reporting any suspected violations of this section to the employee specified under paragraph (2).
(e) Independence of medical professionals
(1) In general. Medical personnel, including athletic trainers, physical therapists, and physicians, shall have the autonomous, unchallengeable authority to determine medical management and return to play decisions for student athletes under their care at an institution.
(2) Limitation on nonmedical personnel. No coach or other nonmedical personnel of an institution may attempt to influence or disregard the decisions of medical personnel with respect to the medical management and return to play decisions for student athletes under their care at the institution.
(f) Rule of construction. Nothing in this section may be construed to preclude—
(1) an intercollegiate athletic association, conference, institution, or State from establishing additional health, wellness, and safety standards to protect student athletes, including additional sexual assault, sexual misconduct, and sexual harassment standards in addition to those specified in subsection (b); or
(2) an intercollegiate athletic association, conference, institution, or student athletes from requesting or advocating for additional health, wellness, and safety standards to protect student athletes.
(g) Intercollegiate athletic association oversight. An intercollegiate athletic association shall take reasonable actions to ensure that its member institutions comply with this section.
II Sports broadcasting
III HBCU Sports Media and Connectivity Program