Power 4 college sports conferences react to Trump's latest executive order
Power 4 commissioners praise Trump's college sports order
Commissioners of the Big Ten, SEC, ACC and Big 12 conferences issued statements Friday evening thanking President Donald Trump for his latest executive order on college athletics. The order directs federal agencies to evaluate restrictions on funding for universities that violate rules limiting players to one transfer, capping eligibility at five years, curbing pay-for-play booster collectives and safeguarding funding for women's and Olympic sports. The leaders expressed uniform support and renewed calls for Congress to enact national standards on athlete compensation, employment status and name, image and likeness rights.
Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti stated the conference thanks Trump for his leadership in protecting college athletics and joins the call for Congress to pass the bipartisan SCORE Act, which addresses name, image and likeness for student-athletes while protecting women's and Olympic sports programs. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey emphasized the need for consistent national standards, noting the order provides clarity and expressing gratitude for bipartisan congressional engagement on the SCORE Act. Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark called federal action essential and urged Congress to advance the SCORE Act for long-term stability. ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips thanked the administration following a White House college sports roundtable and voiced optimism for the SCORE Act's passage.
The executive order follows a White House roundtable a month earlier that focused on issues including the SCORE Act, which had been scheduled for a House vote in December but was canceled after three Republicans joined Democrats in blocking it. The SCORE Act would grant the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption, prohibit athletes from becoming school employees and bar use of student fees for name, image and likeness payments. A month prior to the order, a judge approved a settlement requiring the NCAA and power conferences to pay nearly $2.8 billion in damages to Division I athletes from 2016 to 2025 and allowing direct payments to athletes by programs.
The commissioners aligned behind the order's push for Congress to establish uniform rules amid ongoing debates over athlete pay and eligibility. A prior July executive order prohibited pay-for-play payments from third parties while requiring preservation of resources for non-revenue sports.
