As college athletics continue to evolve and change, elected officials are becoming more interested in regulating Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) toward a positive future.
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) will host a bipartisan roundtable with some of the biggest names in college sports in attendance.
In 2023, Cruz drafted legislation aimed at providing legal certainty for college athletes and prohibit the restriction of student-athletes NIL rights while also creating a national standard of uniformity for NIL contracts.
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Both Nick Saban and Greg Byrne are scheduled to attendance at the event.
Saban said upon retirement that he was going to be spending his time working to improve the state of college sports. He’s openly expressed concern the sports is not in a good place and that he will do everything he can to find solutions.
Byrne, on the other hand, has become one of the faces of college football and his voice influence will undoubtedly help to shape whatever comes of college football over the coming years.
The full list of invitees includes:
- Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas
- Sen. Jerry Morgan, R-Kan.
- Retired Alabama football coach Nick Saban
- Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne
- ACC commissioner Jim Phillips
- TCU women’s basketball player Haley Cavinder
- Former Miami women’s basketball player Hanna Cavinder
- The Collective Association president Russell White
- NIL attorney Darren Heitner
The roundtable will be held on Tuesday, March 12.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP
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