U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri unveiled a blueprint to ‘fix’ college athletics on Friday, and called out Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar and former Alabama men’s basketball forward Charles Bediako in the process.
Secure Stability
Putting Players First
Saving Olympic and Women’s Sports
Ensuring College Sports Endure.
The news release from Schmitt on Friday, however, did not mention plans for introducing a bill; he just announced a blueprint of pillars to use to resolve the issue.
‘College sports are uniquely American. They’re a source of excitement and pride not only for myself, but for millions of athletes, students, alumni, and fans across the nation. As a former two-sport college athlete, I know firsthand the excitement and impact they bring to families in Missouri and across the U.S.,’ Schmitt said in a news release. ‘Unfortunately, there is currently a chaotic landscape in college sports, with no guardrails, guidelines, or rules.
‘Congress must step in to safeguard the future of college sports, protect student-athletes, and restore order to a system that has grown unbalanced. Today, I am presenting a blueprint with four core principles to end rulemaking by lawsuit, clarity transfer rules, establish national standards, and prioritize the long-term success of college athletics.’
In a thread on X, Schmitt referenced both Aguilar and Bediako’s recent cases of asking for additional eligibility or returning to college after declaring for the NBA draft and playing in the G League, respectively.
‘The current environment is threatened by a constant string of lawsuits over eligibility — with some athletes suing for a 7th or 8th year of eligibility. Without rules, schools and athletes are in limbo and younger athletes are robbed of opportunities,’ Schmitt wrote on X. ‘Without rules, schools and athletes are in limbo and younger athletes are robbed of opportunities.’
As noted by the Knoxville News — part of the USA TODAY Network — Aguilar is having a preliminary injunction hearing in a Knoxville courtroom Friday after he sued the NCAA over eligibility rules regarding former junior college players. Aguilar’s hearing comes less than a day after Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss won his battle against the NCAA to become eligible for the 2026 college football season, as he was searching for a retroactive medical redshirt for the 2022 season when he was at Division II Ferris State.
Bediako lost his case against the NCAA earlier in the week, as Tuscaloosa Country Judge Daniel Pruet denied his motion for a temporary injunction to stay with the Crimson Tide. Bediako, who returned to the Crimson Tide back in late January after playing in the G League for the past three seasons, is one of several who have re-entered college basketball after forgoing their eligibility for the NBA draft and then playing in the G League.
‘We’ve also seen pro athletes try to jump back into college sports in the absence of eligibility rules. College sports are meant to be a limited-time, educational opportunity for amateur athletes. Allowing pros to participate will end college sports,’ Schmitt continued on X.
Other topics Schmitt referenced in his thread that his blueprint would resolve and fix included NIL, the transfer portal — to which ‘reinstating the one-time transfer rule will help restore stability to our teams and to the students’ educational experience’ — and the financial strain on athletic programs.
‘My plan would end this rulemaking by lawsuit and give a governing body the ability to actually enforce eligibility rules and standards that have left college sports in chaos in recent years. This is good news for schools and players — and keeps sports entertaining for fans,’ Schmitt continued on X.’
In December, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives pulled the SCORE Act, which was scheduled for a final vote that would have allowed the NCAA and its newly-formed College Sports Commission to create and enforce national rules that have been under legal dispute in recent years.
The SCORE Act (Student Compensation And Opportunity Through Rights and Endorsements) sought to provide more regulation and calm the chaotic environment created by the introduction of name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation, revenue sharing and the transfer portal to college sports. It passed a procedural vote, 210-209, but the legislation drew bipartisan backlash as a final vote neared.
The NCAA has lobbied for Congressional antitrust provisions throughout the past decade as its regulations over athlete compensation and transfer eligibility were challenged and eventually changed by state legislatures and lawsuits.
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