U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) has proposed a bill that would allow college athletes nationwide to earn money through endorsements – only a week after Florida’s governor signed similar legislation for its college athletes.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill authored by state Sen. Debbie Mayfield (R-Rockledge) that would allow college athletes to get paid for the use of names or likenesses. About a week later, Rubio introduced the Fairness in Collegiate Athletics Act, which would require the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to put the compensation rules in place by mid-2021.
In proposing his bill, Rubio criticized how states were moving to enact different rules on how athletes can monetize their images.
“As states continue to pass laws determining how college athletes can be compensated for their name, image and likeness (NIL), it is clear that a patchwork of 50 state laws would be devastating to college sports,” the senator said in a prepared statement. “The Fairness in Collegiate Athletics Act is an effort to ensure the NCAA implements policies for NIL and even the playing field.”
Rubio’s bill also would protect athletes from “nefarious actors,” according to a news release from the senator’s office. And it would expand the NCAA’s legal immunity in certain cases.
In an email to the Florida Record, state Sen. Mayfield indicated that she supported Rubio’s efforts in Congress, even though a federal bill would preempt the Florida statute.
“College athletes across the country should have the opportunity to receive reasonable compensation from the use of their name, image or likeness,” Mayfield said. “This is a common-sense policy that is long overdue.”
Florida has an estimated 11,000 student athletes who would benefit from the bill by expanding their access to free markets, according to Mayfield.
Supporting Rubio’s approach are the Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference, as well as top officials at the University of Florida, Florida State University, University of South Florida and Florida International University.
But the support is not unanimous. The National College Players Association doesn’t see the Rubio bill as a step forward for college athletes, in part because it gives the NCAA too much say over the federal rule-making process.
“Sen. Rubio’s bill undermines the rights & protections guaranteed to FL athletes that the FL state legislature & governor adopted as law just days ago,” the association said in a Twitter post. “It undermines economic freedom, states’ rights, gives NCAA immunity for illegal activities.”