U.S. Senator Katie Britt Introduces Hard Cap Amendment to Protect College Sports Act of 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.), along with Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), today introduced an amendment to the Protect College Sports Act of 2026 . The amendment would explicitly clarify that funds paid to athletes for their name, image, and likeness (NIL) by separate entities associated with an institution, such as a collective, count against that institution’s revenue share cap. “Every school should play by the same rules. While this bill attempts to clarify that associated entity deals count against the cap, my amendment leaves no ambiguity and supports competitive fairness in college sports. The House settlement was clear on setting a hard cap on an institution’s revenue sharing with student-athletes, and this amendment ensures the hard cap is enforceable. I’m hopeful Chairman Cruz and Ranking Member Cantwell will consider this critical effort as we continue to strengthen this legislation and protect college sports for generations to come,” said Senator Britt. The House v. NCAA settlement established a hard cap on an institution’s revenue share of $21.3 million per year. However, payments by separate entities associated with an institution do not count towards an institution’s cap. This is why some college football programs currently have rosters costing upwards of $40 to $50 million, despite a nominal cap of $21.3 million being in place. The Senators’ amendment would make clear that institutions can’t utilize separate entities to circumvent the revenue share cap and, as a result, ensure that this is an enforceable, actual hard cap. Senator Britt has been an advocate for ensuring the Protect College Sports Act of 2026 is the strongest possible bill prior to a vote in the Senate on final passage. Last week, she secured an amendment to change the disaffiliation requirement for a school changing conferences from five years to three years, with an eventual sunset on this requirement six years after enactment of this legislation. In a statement on her amendment she secured last week, Senator Britt noted that, “Without this change, if a school wanted to switch conferences, they would need to sit out five years as an independent. The threat of zero conference revenue for that amount of time would preclude almost every institution from ever being able to make a move, meaning they would always be at the mercy of their respective conference. While I don’t foresee our schools ever leaving the SEC, I certainly don’t want federal law to essentially handcuff them. The institutions that make up a conference should drive its direction, not the other way around. The sunset will allow for immediate stability and then will ultimately allow the free market to work. This is a significant improvement to the bill and will benefit schools across the country, not just in Alabama.” ###