College Sports Commission Bars Lawsuits from Schools, Enforces New Revenue Rules

The landscape of college sports is changing fast with a new revenue-sharing system for athletes. The Power 4 conferences—Big Ten, ACC, Big 12, and SEC—have agreed on how to enforce these new rules.

This Participant Agreement, managed by the newly created College Sports Commission (CSC), lays out what schools have to do and what penalties they might face if they want to join the revenue-sharing system. It’s a big shift, and honestly, a lot of people are still trying to wrap their heads around what it all means for the future of college sports.

The College Sports Commission’s Role

The Power 4 conferences set up the College Sports Commission (CSC) earlier this year. They needed someone to enforce the new rules from the $2.8 billion House v. NCAA lawsuit.

Bryan Seeley, who used to lead investigations for Major League Baseball, is now the CSC’s chief executive officer. The CSC’s main jobs include:

• Enforcing the revenue-sharing cap for schools when paying athletes directly.
• Overseeing roster limits for each sport.
• Approving athletes’ name, image, and likeness deals.

Schools have to cooperate with CSC investigations and follow its decisions if they want to take part in the revenue-sharing system. They also can’t file lawsuits to challenge the rules.

Key Provisions of the Participant Agreement

Cooperation and Compliance

The Participant Agreement says schools must fully cooperate with CSC investigations and accept its decisions. If a school files a lawsuit or helps someone else do it, they could face serious penalties like:

• Reduced league revenue distributions
• Postseason bans in the sports where violations happened

Schools also have to avoid supporting or lobbying for changes in laws that would go against their obligations under this agreement. Still, the agreement doesn’t override any state laws already in place.

Penalties for Non-Compliance

The full list of penalties is still in the works and will eventually be added to NCAA bylaws and CSC policies. Some penalties on the table include:

• Suspensions for coaches and administrators
• Fines for schools
• Stripping athletes of eligibility
• Roster reductions, including limits on transfers
• Recruiting restrictions
• Postseason bans for teams

Postseason bans sparked a lot of debate, especially from the Big Ten, who didn’t like the idea at first. Eventually, they agreed to postseason bans, but only in four specific cases:

• If a school blatantly ignores a penalty, like letting an ineligible athlete play
• If a school or its representatives actively block a CSC investigation
• If a school refuses to cooperate with an investigation
• If someone’s actions give a team an unfair edge during a season

These bans are meant to be real-time punishments that only affect the season when the violation happened.

Appeals and Legal Considerations

Unlike the NCAA, where committees make decisions, Bryan Seeley alone will make CSC rulings. If a school or individual wants to appeal, they’ll go to an outside arbiter.

By signing the Participant Agreement, schools and employees give up their right to a jury trial for CSC enforcement disputes, unless state law says otherwise.

The Impact of State Laws and Federal Legislation

State laws and court rulings have really limited what the NCAA can do, which led to the creation of the CSC. The Power 4 conferences and NCAA leaders are now hoping Congress will help set up national rules for college sports.

A bill called the SCORE Act has already made it through a House committee and could get a vote as soon as December. Whether it passes or not, the next few months are going to be interesting for college sports.

Conclusion

The College Sports Commission and the Participant Agreement have kicked off a new era in college sports. The Power 4 conferences want clearer rules and meaningful penalties, hoping to make things fairer for athletes and schools.

It’ll be interesting to see what actually changes as these new guidelines roll out. Will the landscape of college sports shift for the better? Only time will tell.

For more details, check out the full article on The New York Times.