BY KACE KIESCHNICK, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
LSU officials have expressed their opposition to the current Protect College Sports Act to Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell.
LSU President Wade Rousse and Board of Supervisors Chairman Lee Mallett issued a joint statement acknowledging the need for government intervention in college athletics, but still condemning the bill.
“For nearly a century, LSU has been at the forefront of college athletics, and we recognize that the important issues facing us today necessitate substantive reform,” the letter reads. “While we appreciate all efforts surrounding the Protect College Sports Act, we believe key issues remain with the legislation and we do not support the bill in its current form.”
The statement goes on to pledge the university’s future collaboration in improving the legislation. Alabama, Auburn, Texas and Texas A&M have released similar statements in recent days.
SEC, Big Ten lose early battle as Protect College Sports Act – pushed by Nick Saban – clears Senate Commerce Committee.https://t.co/0DZixtYy2h
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) June 18, 2026
SEC Associate Commissioner Herb Vincent spoke about the league’s stance on the bill on Tuesday night on Tiger Rag Radio.
“We’ve been very clear that we think we need federal legislation, and there’s some things about that bill that are very good,” he said. “There are just some things that, right now, are not in a place that we feel like we can support it. And I think that’s what some of the schools in the Southeastern Conference are expressing as well.”
Hear Vincent’s entire interview on Tiger Rag Radio by clicking the box below:
Rousse’s and Mallet’s signatures were included in a list of national collegiate officials in a June letter to lawmakers supporting the bill. Rousse later told Yahoo! Sports his name was used without authorization, and Mallett told On3.com he supported the SCORE Act instead.
The Protect College Sports Act proposes a slew of antitrust exemptions to return power to the NCAA. It allows the association to enforce its rules without fear of lawsuit, regulates transfer portal and NIL chaos and adds athlete protections — all things LSU mostly supports.
The issue for the SEC and the Big Ten, the loudest and most influential opponents of the bill, is the pooling of media rights. Up to now, the SEC and Big Ten have made most of the money from television. Under the bill, FBS schools could choose to pool national media right when negotiating TV deals, diluting the massive profits of the SEC and Big 10.
The conferences issued a joint statement against the bill with concerns that senators did not adequately seek and address their feedback, and Vincent said progress has been made since then.
“We’re trying to work with the senators who have crafted the bill to make changes that we think would be appropriate to make it workable,” Vincent said. “And I think it’s headed in the right direction.”
University presidents from Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and USC held a meeting with Cruz and Cantwell to discuss the bill Wednesday. Lawmakers have reported positive revisions thanks to meetings with SEC and Big 10 officials and aim to bring the bill to the Senate floor by early August.
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