Sen. Ted Cruz Announces New NIL Bill: 'Preserves College Sports By Promoting Self-Governance'

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is introducing a new bill aimed at alleviating some of the existential threats to college athletics, many of which are brought on by NIL

Cruz announced the bill in a piece published in the Austin American-Statesman.

"College sports are a cultural unifier, and they are bigger and better in Texas," the Republican senator wrote on social media.

"My bill codifying name, image, and likeness rights for college athletes preserves college sports by promoting self-governance and limiting federal involvement in the issue."

Sen. Cruz wrote that he developed the draft legislation after conversations with players, administrators, and others at Texas universities.

"First, my model codifies NIL rights for college athletes," he wrote. "As a matter of first principle, a man or woman is entitled to profit from their own labor and success."

Cruz acknowledged that this is already the case in Texas. However, some of his state's universities could find themselves on the back foot depending on the laws in other states.

"A national solution for a national market is needed, which is why the Texas State Legislature requested in its NIL law that '“'the United States Congress…act on this matter to ensure the competitive integrity of intercollegiate athletics.'" Cruz wrote.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) discussed a new bill that seeks to protect college sports and limit federal involvement. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Sen. Cruz Took Inspiration From History

However, Sen. Cruz wrote that he doesn't think the congressional involvement should be too extreme. He even joked about shuddering "at the idea of a congressional oversight hearing on what is “roughing the passer.'"

Instead, he's advocating for a system that gives the NCAA greater latitude to govern these issues with limited federal involvement.

The senator wrote that he isn't breaking new ground with this idea. It's been done before and worked more than 100 years ago.

"After a series of deaths from football-related injuries threatened the sport’s future, President Theodore Roosevelt brought university leaders to the White House to encourage them to create rules that all parties could agree to rather than rely on the government," Cruz wrote.

"This became the early stages of the NCAA, an athletic system built on self-governance free from government intervention."

The senator noted that the NCAA is "far from perfect." He wrote that his bill would seek to empower "athletic associations to enforce recruiting and transfer rules."

Additionally, the bill would set up. registry for agents and an NIL database, both of which would be in place to protect student-athletes.

The Senator Warned About The 'Hyper-Politicization' Of College Athletics

The final part of Cruz's proposed bill would ensure that student-athletes remain exactly that: student-athletes.

"Finally, the bill would ensure athletes are not deemed employees for purposes of employment law. This provision is essential to preserve the idea that student-athletes are students first and the focus remains on education," Cruz writes. "It would protect scholarship students so they could not be “fired” for non-performance, and preclude the enormous financial pressure that would likely cause schools to cut non-revenue sports. "

Cruz signed off by warning that an alternative solution that involved creating a new federal agency to oversee college athletics would come with some serious baggage.

"Do we decide to take the path of creating a new federal agency and concomitant regulation of college sports, as well as the hyper-politicization that would soon follow it?" Cruz asked. "Or do we want to preserve the self-governance model that Roosevelt and others chose more than 100 years ago? I prefer the latter. "

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