WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new Congressional bill grants college athletes the right to strike collective bargaining agreements to maximize group licensing deals, while prohibiting schools from both restricting compensation from college recruits and regulating athlete agents.
The latest Congressional legislation governing athlete compensation, authored by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.), allows college athletes unrestricted use of their name, image and likeness (NIL), penalizing schools for imposing rules that curb those rights.
The College Athlete Economic Freedom Act is the fifth different NIL Congressional bill introduced in the U.S. Capitol over the last year, following a wave of state NIL laws that are on the brink of ending the NCAA’s amateurism model.