Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall is calling on Congress to not just protect college sports, but to also protect women’s sports.
Marshall submitted a letter urging House and Senate leadership to support legislative language in an amendment to S.4668, the Protect College Sports Act of 2026, that protects the privacy, safety, and opportunities for women student-athletes. The letter was co-led by Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch and Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill.
“In Alabama, we will not apologize for protecting opportunities that our female athletes have earned,” Marshall said. “Yet, the inclusion of this language in the Protect College Sports Act is unfortunately necessary to fix the culture of college sports and ensure that only women compete in women’s sports.”
The bipartisan Senate legislation would set national rules for NIL compensation, transfers, eligibility, and revenue sharing in college sports while adding athlete protections and limited antitrust cover for enforcement.
In the letter, the Attorneys General write, “Republican State Attorneys General have fought tirelessly to close all loopholes that allow men to participate in women’s sports, and we have prevailed in the courts. Twenty-seven states currently have laws that prohibit males from playing on women’s sports teams. It would be a grave disservice to the people of those states if we do not make clear that they, through their legislatures, remain empowered to enact and enforce such laws.”
The Senate is moving forward to a final vote on the bill. U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) was originally opposed the the measure, but decided to vote in favor of it after some changes were made.
“To protect college sports, you have to protect women’s sports,” the letter continues. “As Attorneys General, we have vigorously defended fairness in women’s sports and have successfully stood up for women’s opportunities, privacy, and safety. We understand this is a challenging problem, and we ask that you speak clearly to ensure that we can continue to enforce state laws that prohibit biological males from competing in female sports.”
Along with Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, Attorneys General from the following States joined the letter: Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Utah.
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee
