Missouri Rep. Cleaver unveils bipartisan NCAA bill: ‘This is a civil rights issue’
Missouri Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II is ready to give college athletes a pathway to profit off their name, image and likeness.
Cleaver, a receiver for Murray State in the 1960s, is co-sponsor of a House bill released Thursday that would establish one federal standard for college athletes who wish to seek out endorsement deals.
“I want to be unequivocally clear: This is a civil rights issue,” Cleaver said. “For far too long college athletes across the country — many of whom are people of color — have been denied the basic right to control their name, image and likeness.”
The Student Athlete Level Playing Field Act — co-sponsored by Ohio Rep. Anthony Gonzalez — would prohibit universities from restricting athletes from seeking out their own endorsement deals while also providing Congressional oversight to the process.
If passed, NCAA athletes would have few limitations on their endorsement choices, as the bill would only restrict sponsors related to alcohol, tobacco, controlled substances, adult entertainment or gambling. Athletes also could also hire an agent as long as they notified their school.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) would be in charge of enforcement. Athletes would be able to file a complaint with the agency if they believed their rights weren’t being upheld.
The bill also calls for the formation of a commission to make recommendations to Congress regarding name, image and likeness rules. This group would consist of 13 members, including at least two current or former student-athletes.
Other notes: The bill amends the previous Sports Agent Responsibility and Trust Act, adding language about boosters that would make certain activities penalizable through FTC enforcement. It also makes clear that student-athletes would remain non-employees of schools, while stating that Title IX and anti-trust laws would not be violated with this new act.
Kansas Senator Jerry Moran held a Senate hearing in February — with speakers that included University of Kansas chancellor Doug Girod and Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby — that discussed the future of NCAA athlete endorsements.
Many states — including California — have already passed future name, image, likeness laws, though differing rules would make future enforcement difficult without a nationwide standard.
“What we wanted to do from the outset was come to a bipartisan consensus that puts forth a national framework that gives college athletes the same rights every other American in the country is already afforded,” Cleaver said. “That’s exactly what this bill will do, and I’m proud we were able to put it together in a bipartisan way.”
Gonzalez, the bill’s co-sponsor, also played college football; he was a receiver at Ohio State before spending five seasons in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts.
This story was originally published September 24, 2020 at 11:10 AM with the headline "Missouri Rep. Cleaver unveils bipartisan NCAA bill: ‘This is a civil rights issue’."
