Senators Manchin, Tuberville introduce 'common sense' bill on NIL

In their bill, the senators proposed a uniform NIL standard that would supersede those in individual states and create a single NIL contract for student-athletes to sign. Collectives that have sprung up since NILs were introduced would be required to have a formal relationship with colleges and universities, and they would also have to offer the same amount of money to both male and female athletes. The Protecting Athletes bill would also expand health insurance for student-athletes, even after they leave the school.

Yet one major difference between the Manchin/Tuberville bill and those recently drafted by other senators addresses transfers. This bill would require that student-athletes have three years of academic eligibility before they could transfer to another school without having to sit out for a year. Another stark contrast would be which entity enforces the rules. Manchin and Tuberville's bill would give the NCAA the power to choose the kinds of deals that can be offered and accepted as well as the authority to enforce the rules alongside the Federal Trade Commission. A separate proposal from Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) would create a separate oversight group unaffiliated with the government.

Tuberville, who formerly coached football at Ole Miss, Auburn, Texas Tech and Cincinnati, has been working with Manchin on this bill for a year, as seen by feedback the Alabama senator posted to his website last October. Manchin himself had a scholarship to play football for West Virginia but an injury at practice ended his playing career. 

Both senators have made the news for other reasons—Manchin appears to be testing the waters for a presidential run while Tuberville is once again in hot water for holding up military nominations due to objections over a highly controversial topic.

A third draft was created by Ted Cruz (R-TX), and his bill would not only give the NCAA antitrust exemption similar to what Major League Baseball has but it would deem student-athletes as amateurs, which could impact future compensation, healthcare and other benefits they would feel entitled to for their athletic efforts on the school's behalf.

A good summary of these bills came from Front Office Sports' Amanda Christovich, who said that intense lobbying from the NCAA and the Power 5 conferences has led to this push to enact legislation before both the August recess and the start of the college football and basketball seasons.