Did the U.S. Senate take a step toward restoring sanity to college athletics Monday? Arkansas’ two senators, Republicans Tom Cotton and John Boozman, believe it did. So does John Calipari, the University of Arkansas’ head men’s basketball coach.
Boozman, who played football for the Razorbacks, and Cotton both voted for the Protect College Sports Act. The vote was 77-22, with both Republicans and Democrats voting yes.
The bill would provide the NCAA with an antitrust exemption that would help it enforce limits on how much colleges and universities can pay players. It also would increase that limit to about $49 million, of which $5 million would go to Olympic and nonrevenue sports. Everything is currently being done under a court settlement, including a $21.5 million salary cap that some schools have circumvented – obviously, based on scoreboard results. Players could compete over five years beginning when they finish high school or reach age 19. They could transfer once without penalty during their careers. The bill also would limit each conference to 20 teams.
Notably, an amendment to limit coaches’ salaries to $5 million failed. Continue reading →
