Ted Cruz’s college sports bill risks humiliating collapse in crunch time

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is attempting a high-wire act as he tries to rally support for the Protect College Sports Act. And the window of opportunity appears to be closing.

Cruz and Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., have jointly backed the legislation, which is intended in part to address player compensation and name, image and likeness issues, or NIL. It also would limit transfers and establish a five-year window of eligibility.

The bill has been promoted by ultraconservative megadonor Cody Campbell, while Athletes.org, a players association, has said it “vehemently opposes” the legislation over concerns that it could move college athletes closer to the pre-NIL era, which was rife with exploitation. The bill has also been opposed by the Big Ten and the Southeastern Conference, which include several powerhouse programs.

Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported that the legislation was in trouble after the two conferences blew past a deadline to weigh in on revisions.

The Protect College Sports Act is in a dire position.

As Wednesday night arrived, the SEC and Big Ten continued to oppose the bill – despite days of negotiations with lawmakers, specifically over closing a cap circumvention loophole.

Time is running out.https://t.co/vu3igm809K

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) July 29, 2026

Cruz and Cantwell are attempting to bring the legislation to the floor of the Senate for a vote next week — the final week that senators are in session before a monthlong recess. The legislation faces longer odds of passage if it does not reach the floor before the recess.

On Thursday, the Senate adjourned for the week without the backing of the conferences.

“The bill’s chances of a vote next week are slim now,” Dellenger wrote on X. “The legislation remains in dire position ahead of a monthlong Senate recess beginning next Friday.”

Apparently feeling the heat, Cruz put out a social media post Thursday to address supposed “confusion.”

There’s confusion about how the cap and Associated Entity language work in the Protect College Sports Act. Let me clear it up.

The cap is a hard cap. Full stop. That loophole is closed.

Once a school hits the cap, a player can still do NIL deals on the open market — if the deal…

— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) July 30, 2026

The ongoing tension is threatening to derail one of President Donald Trump’s priorities at a time when Republicans wield total control of Congress. Trump has openly pushed for a return to a pre-NIL system — and even absurdly claimed that dealing with his Iran war is “easy” in comparison with regulating college sports.

Now, it appears he and his allies are trying to avoid humiliating failures on both fronts.

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