The NCAA is asking California governor Gavin Newsom not to pass legislation that would make it possible for college athletes to accept endorsement money.
The NCAA said the bill, known as the Fair Pay To Play Act, is unconstitutional, in a letter from the board of governors.
The bill would make it illegal for colleges and universities in California to take away an athlete’s scholarship or eligibility as punishment for that athlete profiting from his or her name, image or likeness. If passed, the new law would go into effect in January 2023.
The NCAA’s letter states that the Fair Pay To Play Act, “would erase the critical distinction between college and professional athletics and, because it gives those schools an unfair recruiting advantage, would result in them eventually being unable to compete in NCAA competitions.”
California schools and the NCAA have opposed the bill because it would make it impossible for those schools to follow the NCAA’s amateurism rules.
Monday, the California State Assembly voted 72-0 in favor of the proposed law. The bill now goes back to the state senate, which had voted to pass it back in May but — because of amendments since — must now vote again. If it passes the senate again, then it goes to Newsom to sign into law, which could happen by the end of the September.