Tuberville, Manchin ask collectives for feedback to drive NIL legislation

DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) - As they continue their effort to strike an agreement around bipartisan legislation related to name, image, and likeness (NIL), U.S. Senators Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) asked athletic collectives across the country to provide input to their work so far.

Back in August, the Senators announced their intent to work on bipartisan NIL legislation that would be guided by stakeholder input and significant engagement with affected groups.

The pair has already received feedback from university athletic directors, administrators, associations, and student-athlete groups.

That feedback received so far had urged the Senators to address collectives in the NIL landscape.

Collectives, although independent from the institutions, are designed to pool funds from private donors to maximize NIL’s impact on the recruitment of college athletes.

Senators Tuberville and Manchin will combine the feedback received from collectives with the information they have already have to help further their efforts around NIL legislation.

“Last month our Senate offices solicited input and feedback from a broad range of interested stakeholders on priorities for potential federal NIL legislation. The response to our solicitation was robust, and we appreciate the respondents’ thoughtful submissions. Notably, more than seventy percent of the commenters recommended that any future legislation address the issue of whether and how to regulate, control, or ban collectives,” the Senators wrote.

“In our August letter, we set forth our priorities for a legislative solution: to protect student-athletes, ensure fair competition and compensation, and preserve the time-honored traditions of college sports. We welcome your input as to how your organization advances these goals and how any potential legislation could provide a regulatory structure for your organization.”

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