Ted Cruz

WASHINGTON — Sen. Ted Cruz is on a mission to bring order to the college athletics chaos of big endorsement deals, unlimited transfers and conference realignments.

The Texas Republican says waves of lawsuits and court settlements have resulted in distorted incentives and uneven rules threatening to wreck a uniquely American sports heritage.

He has a proposal aimed at breaking years of partisan gridlock and congressional inaction despite pleas for help from colleges.

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His plan has critics, including some who say it limits the rights of student-athletes.

Cruz said nobody got exactly what they wanted in the deal, but he warned ahead of a key committee vote Thursday that time is running out.

“The future of college athletics is now in Congress’ hands,” Cruz said. “We can sit in the stands and watch the system continue to unravel or we can step onto the field and lead.”

The committee advanced the bill 19-9, with Republicans and Democrats joining together to support it.

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As a Princeton debate star, Cruz’s own college competitions were settled off the gridiron. He has prioritized the issue as chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, however, speaking about the unifying power of college sports in bringing together Americans from diverse backgrounds.

Cruz described long hours of intense negotiations, fueled by the sugar and caffeine of Cuban coffee, which produced a deal with the panel’s top Democrat, Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington.

Their bill would:

Grant players one transfer during their careers, with allowances for additional transfers in special circumstances such as a coach leaving.

Establish new guardrails on player compensation from name, image and likeness deals.

Restrict coaches’ ability to switch teams during the season.

Provide a “targeted” antitrust exemption that would allow teams to pool TV rights, with requirements such as continued support for women’s athletics and Olympic sports and preservation of historic rivalries.

Provide new protections for student-athletes’ health insurance and scholarships.

In the name of bipartisan compromise, the bill does not address some thorny issues that have prevented other proposals from moving forward, such as whether student-athletes should be treated like employees with the right to unionize.

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The committee vote means the bill now can be brought up on the Senate floor, but it still faces challenges from an array of interests and ideological factions.

Cruz highlighted support for the bill from two dozen collegiate athletic conferences and more than 260 colleges and universities. It also has the backing of the major professional leagues for football, basketball and baseball.

On the other side, the Big Ten and Southeastern conferences have opposed the bill, even after additional changes.

The two conferences issued a joint statement Thursday saying they have worked with congressional aides on changes “necessary for the long-term sustainability of college athletics” and to better support student-athletes.

“Despite our sustained engagement and good-faith efforts, these critical revisions have not been accepted,” the conferences said, while pledging to keep working on the issue.

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Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., has objected to the legislation, saying it micromanages student-athletes’ compensation and limits their ability to transfer schools.

He responded on X to a post about the NFL supporting the deal.

“Of course they do,” Murphy said. “It codifies the collusion between the NCAA and the NFL that bans highly talented young men from going pro and requires them to play multiple college years for badly under market compensation.”

Murphy also recorded a discussion with Louisiana State University basketball player Jada Williams, who compared big-time college athletics to professional sports and suggested the players should have the same rights.

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