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Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi Criticizes Protect College Sports Act In Letter To Sen. John Fetterman

Neeli Bendapudi has staked her claim in the Protect College Sports Act situation.

Penn State’s president sent a letter last month to U.S. Sen. John Fetterman “to express [her] concern with the Protect College Sports Act,” according to On3.

“Although we were hopeful the revised version of the bill released Monday evening would address many of the issues raised by the Big Ten Conference, only a single suggested revision was fully addressed,” Bendapudi wrote.

Bendapudi’s letter was in relation to four Big Ten schools reportedly meeting with Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas) and Maria Cantwell (Washington) to express their opposition to the Protect College Sports Act on Tuesday.

SEC schools, including Alabama, also released statements opposing the act.

“We appreciate the effort behind the Protect College Sports Act and support the bill’s intent,” the four schools said in a statement to Yahoo! Sports. “At the same time, key issues should be addressed to ensure the bill protects student-athletes and provides long-term stability for colleges, universities and conferences.

Per Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellegner, this created “movement” among lawmakers to revise the act.

Bendapudi’s letter raises four main points: NIL, the end of ongoing legal loopholes in college sports litigation, sports broadcasting and media rights, and preemption of state law.

Bendapudi disagreed with the clause that would count NIL deals between associated entities and student-athletes toward the NIL cap, saying it could result in the denial of “hundreds of millions of dollars” to student-athletes.

The NCAA and conferences agreed last year to abide by a spending cap slightly more than $20 million per school each year, though it does not apply to third-party NIL deals. This is why reports that college football rosters alone cost $40 million have become widespread.

Enforcing the rule on all NIL deals affects the “rich” schools more than anyone. Penn State committed $30 million in NIL money to new football head coach Matt Campbell during his hiring, a deal that would be turned on its head should the Protect College Sports Act pass as is.

Penn State’s president also said the “legal liability protection provided by the bill remains so narrow” that schools, conferences, and the NCAA will continue to face legal battles over matters that should have been set in stone.

The NCAA and its schools were slapped in the face when former Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby was originally ruled eligible to play for the Red Raiders this summer despite gambling over $90,000 while playing college sports, including his own games.

That case also reminded everyone of the power the states hold in college sports litigation, as the judge initially assigned to the case was a Texas Tech University and Law School alumnus. He later recused himself from the case, but the point stands.

This could be a reason Bendapudi also asked the act to include sufficient text to protect the College Sports Commission from state law.

Finally, Penn State’s president wants Title II of the act, which would allow schools and conferences to pool media rights, to be changed dramatically because it “singles out the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference.”

Pooled rights would be bad for the Big Ten because it would significantly reduce the conference’s financial advantage. The conference currently holds a historic 7-year, $7.8 billion deal with Fox, the highest-valued deal in college sports.

Imagine Penn State getting the same amount of cash from media as Charlotte, a team a part of the American Conference’s 12-year, $1 billion media rights agreement with ESPN.

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About the Author

Collin Ward

Collin is a fourth-year majoring in digital/print journalism. He lives in Basking Ridge, New Jersey and enjoys TAYLOR HAM, egg, and cheese. As a New York Giants and Chelsea FC fan you can normally find him yelling at his TV screen on the weekends. Please follow him on X(formerly Twitter) @wardcollinz for Penn State football stuff. You can email him at [email protected].

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