Enforcement agreement aims to end college sports’ ‘wild west’ era, but stiff legal battles are sure to follow

On Monday night, leaders representing the Power Four conferences began circulating a binding document that could radically transform rules enforcement in college football, according to Yahoo Sports.

The agreement would create the College Sports Commission, a new entity geared toward rules enforcement. Power Four schools would be required to sign the contract or risk expulsion from their leagues and having member schools refuse to play games against them. Additionally, it would limit the ability for schools to sue over enforcement decisions, radically transforming the outlook of the new era of college athletics. 

On the surface this sounds like a move toward much-needed regulatory relief in what many have called the “wild west” era of college sports. But upon further review, the thorny legal issues that have defined the NIL and transfer portal era of college sports continue to stare you in the face. This document doesn’t make those problems go away.

College sports is in the midst of a governance shift. If you’ve ever complained that football, in particular, lacks a commissioner-style leader or that the power conferences should break away from the NCAA — congratulations, you’re more or less getting what you want. 

Assuming the House settlement is finalized, as many in the industry believe could happen as soon as this week, the Power Four conferences will hire a CEO. That process is already underway. This person will oversee a new enforcement arm and effectively relegate the NCAA’s role to handling eligibility and organizing competition in its sponsored sports.

When it comes to salary cap issues expected to follow the House settlement — set at roughly $20.5 million in Year 1 for an entire athletic department — and the legitimacy of…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/enforcement-agreement-aims-to-end-college-sports-wild-west-era-but-stiff-legal-battles-are-sure-to-follow/

Author : Richard Johnson

Publish date : 2025-05-20 21:41:00

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