Big Ten, SEC, ACC, Big 12 back Trump’s college sports executive order

The leaders of college sports’ most powerful conferences quickly aligned behind President Donald Trump’s latest executive order.

Commissioners from the Big Ten, SEC, ACC and Big 12 all released statements on social media Friday evening unanimously thanking Trump for his executive action. 

Trump’s EO directs federal agencies to potentially restrict funding for schools violating new, tighter rules on player transfers (limited to one) and eligibility (maximum five years), while curbing pay-for-play booster collectives and protecting women’s and Olympic sports funding.

The conferences struck a consistent tone of appreciation for federal involvement, coupled with a renewed call for Congress to establish national standards governing college athletics, particularly with respect to athlete compensation, employment status and name, image and likeness (NIL) rules.

Big 10 Commissioner Tony Petitti wrote, “The Big Ten Conference would like to thank President Trump for his leadership and continuing efforts to protect college athletics and joins him in urging Congress to quickly pass legislation addressing the critical issues undermining its long-term stability.

“Consistent with President Trump’s executive order, the bipartisan SCORE Act thoughtfully addresses name, image, and likeness for student-athletes, protecting academic and athletic opportunities provided through women’s and Olympic sports programs, and expands resources to support student-athletes on and off the field.

“We will continue to work with a broad coalition of college sports stakeholders and members of Congress to enact this legislation.”

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey wrote, “The establishment and enforcement of consistent national standards for college athletics remains a top priority, and President Trump’s executive order provides important clarity to help ensure all programs operate under comparable policies.

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“We are grateful for the President’s leadership and the continued, bipartisan engagement of members of the House and Senate on these key issues.

“We support House of Representatives approval of the SCORE Act and meaningful Senate consideration of similar legislation to preserve academic opportunity for student-athletes and the long-term future of college sports.”

Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark wrote, “Federal action is essential to protect the future of college athletics, and on behalf of the Big 12, we appreciate President Trump’s commitment to advancing a solution. To build on this momentum and provide long-term clarity and stability, Congress must now act.

“The bipartisan SCORE Act offers a comprehensive framework for many of the issues facing our industry, and I look forward to continue working with President Trump and Congress to enact meaningful reforms.”

ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips wrote, “We deeply thank President Trump and his administration’s ongoing commitment to protecting college athletics by issuing today’s executive order. Following the White House’s college sports roundtable, there continues to be significant momentum to preserve the athletic and academic opportunities for the next generation of student-athletes, and we appreciate the efforts.

“We remain optimistic that the SCORE Act, which would provide stability to college sports, will pass the House of Representatives in the near future.”

The executive order “directs Federal agencies to bolster the effectiveness of key college sports rules on transferring, eligibility, and pay-for-play by evaluating whether violations of such rules render a university unfit for Federal grants and contracts.”

It also says that a “five-year participation window” will be enforced, along with “structured transfer rules” and a “banning (of) improper financial arrangements including pay-for-play agreements facilitated by collectives and similar entities.”

Trump’s executive order comes roughly a month after he hosted a roundtable addressing several hot-button issues with notable sports figures and officials.

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The SCORE Act was at the forefront of the roundtable. It was scheduled to be voted on in December, but the vote was canceled shortly before it was to take place.

The White House endorsed the act, but three Republicans — Byron Donalds of Florida, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and Chip Roy of Texas — voted with Democrats not to bring the act to the floor. Democrats have largely opposed the bill, urging members of the House to vote against it.

The act would give the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption in hopes of protecting the NCAA from potential lawsuits over eligibility rules and would prohibit athletes from becoming employees of their schools. It prohibits schools from using student fees to fund NIL payments.

The president’s order from July prohibits athletes from receiving pay-to-play payments from third-party sources. However, the order did not impose any restrictions on NIL payments to college athletes by third-party sources. It also demands that schools account for preserving resources for the non-revenue sports.

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A month before Trump’s order, a judge approved a settlement between the NCAA, its most powerful conferences and lawyers representing all Division I athletes. The deal means the NCAA will pay close to $2.8 billion in back damages over the next 10 years to college athletes who competed from 2016 to 2025. The settlement also allows college programs to pay athletes directly.

Fox News Digital’s Ryan Morik contributed to this report.

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