Murphy, Trahan Reintroduce Legislation to Codify College Athletes' Unrestricted Right to Their Name, Image, Likeness

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, andU.S. Representative Lori Trahan (D-Mass.-03), a member of the U.S. House Committee for Energy and Commerce and a former college athlete, on Wednesday reintroduced legislation that would establish an unrestricted federal right for college athletes to market their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). TheCollege Athlete Economic Freedom Actallows international college athletes to market their NIL without losing their visa status, encourages negotiation between athletes and their colleges for the use of athletes’ NIL for promotion and media rights deals, and ensures colleges and collectives do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, or participating sports in the facilitation of NIL deals.

“College athletes dedicate years of their lives to their craft and deserve their fair share of a multibillion-dollar industry built on their hard work,”said Murphy.“While the past four years of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policy have allowed these athletes to finally make money off their talent, the NCAA is hoping Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress will help them undo years of hard-earned progress. Our legislation shields college athletes from an assault on their livelihoods by expanding and codifying their basic right to be fairly compensated for their Name, Image, and Likeness.”

“Instead of trying to undo the rights college athletes fought for decades to secure, Congress should address the real issues facing college sports today,”saidTrahan. “The College Athlete Economic Freedom Act codifies athletes’ unrestricted NIL rights nationwide, closes the loophole prohibiting international athletes from entering into NIL agreements, and guarantees that women have a fair shot in the NIL marketplace. It’s long past time for Congress to stand with the athletes who’ve driven this industry without a real seat at the table.”

Specifically,the College Athlete Economic Freedom Actwould:

Full text of the bill is availablehere.

A one-pager of the bill is availablehere.