Mitt Romney says Congress is 'coming to help' college athletes on name, image and likeness rights
California and other states have made “name, image and likeness rights” a hot topic with bills like the Golden State’s “Fair Pay to Play Act.” Some observers have noted that the NCAA, which currently forbids student-athletes to profit off of their name, image and likeness, would likely be overwhelmed if it has to deal with the issue on a state-by-state basis. Now the federal government is planning to get involved, according to Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT).
Brain Murphy of The News & Observer shared some comments Romney made on the athlete compensation debate.
“You know something is seriously awry. … The reality is Congress is going to act. We’re coming for you. We’re coming to help these athletes,” Romney said.
CBS Sports notes that the comments were made at a roundtable event with ESPN analyst Jay Bilas and Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC) who introduced a federal statute that would apply across every state.
Romney, a former nominee for President and noted Grove tailgater, won Senate election in Utah on Nov. 6, 2018.
.@MittRomney on college sports: “You know something is seriously awry. … The reality is Congress is going to act. We’re coming for you. We’re coming to help these athletes.” #ncaa
— Brian Murphy (@MurphinDC) October 16, 2019
Romney — pander me pink — never waste an opportunity. When kids who work on research projects start demanding royalties and pay from the university via corporations, it will further destroy higher learning for all but the rich and athletically gifted.
Between scholarships and student loans, my kid struggles through. Athletes get $2k-$4K per semester expense money on top of their full room and board scholarships — they are already paid. My kid sure isn’t.
This is all absolutely right.
In a completely free market, Tua is worth significantly more than every college researchers net worth combined. He doesn’t need the school to pay him, just let him use his own likeness and brand in commercials, endorsements, etc. As for your kid, I’m sure his college’s bylaws aren’t the reason he/she hasn’t landed a multi million dollar Gatorade endorsement deal yet, if they want more money be more marketable.
When the Crimson Tide marketing company or the Buckeye talent agency is created with the sole purpose of marketing a player’s image and likeness and starts paying these 5 star recruits tens and hundreds of thousands for their autographs you’ll be the first one complaining. Unless they figure out a way to keep the rich from getting richer this will be a nightmare for the middle of the road schools like USC and Mizzou.
Tua is inline to make tens of millions next year. Where would he be without Bama doctors, receivers, training staff, publicity, coaches, resources, etc… Nowhere. He wouldn’t be worth a dime. So who really owes who?
I agree wholeheartedly.
Awesome! So glad you approve, was hanging on pins and needles to hear your response!
This is what the swamp rats in DC have to worry about? How about stop being a do nothing Congress and get to work. Pay them and slap a 60% tax rate on it if they are so adamant about it. Congress has no business in the NCAA.
They would rather make headlines than actually do any real work.
Whether you agree with athletes profiting off their likeness or not, it is better to have a level playing field nationally than for each state to have their own rules. That could quickly become chaos.
What is wrong with the football watching public ? Have so many of you gone brain-dead. We have professional football to watch. It’s different than amateur competition. Are we so dumb now we can’t tell the difference. College football players have the option to skip college and go straight to professional leagues. Guess what, if no NFL team is willing to pay a college player to come straight to them, maybe they arn’t worth Fair Pay to Play either. Every participant in college ball, every freshman, sophomore, junior and senior, every walk on, every team manager, every injured player who can’t dress for any more games, every 2nd, and 3rd teamer that will never see a second of game time, they all make college football work. Do any of the idiots in California think that college football teams can exist without the whole team ? Why would any of the supporting cast want to put in their work so that somebody else can get paid and promoted ? Nuts, just Dumb. And the sport they are trying to kill doesn’t just happen in the D-1. I guess I’m looking forward to watching the D-1 cs, or the D-2, and D-3, because I have no problem with quitting D-1 fbs as soon as the pay to play bs starts.
You don’t seem to understand how any of this works. There is a draft. All draftees must be three years removed from HS in order to be eligible for the draft.
But that is an age discrimination issue with the NFL. That restriction has nothing to do with the NCAA.
Who said it did? I just said you can’t go straight to the nfl from college. The rule also doesn’t mention age.
Ok, so the NFL is agist. Take it up with them.
Actually the players union.
Now it’s just amusingly ironic.
If the Congress gets involved don’t expect to have anything done.
Isn’t this the same moron that got pulled over for driving with his dog on top of his car?