Revenue-share portion of NCPA-sponsored bill is amended to align with proposed lawsuit settlement while maintaining robust college athlete protections.
Sacramento, CA –Assemblymember Chris Holden releases the following statement in response
to the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and Power 5 conferences voting in
favor of a $2.7 billion lawsuit settlement that would enable schools to share millions of dollars in
athletics revenue with athletes:
“Hundreds of colleges and universities enjoy more than $18 billion in revenue off of the talents
of their athletes. A lawsuit settlement as described would open the door to put our young people
in a place that more fairly reflects the unique position they are in and set them up for success
post-college. Due to this significant progress toward athlete compensation, I am removing the
revenue-sharing portion in my bill, AB 252.
However, this progress means that it has never been more important to approve AB 252, which
will prevent athletic programs from cutting sports, scholarships, and participation opportunities
to spend more on football and basketball.
And as a former college athlete, I know all too well the toll that it can take on a person’s
physical, mental, and academic well-being. While the progress toward athlete revenue sharing is
groundbreaking, college athletes lack basic physical and academic protections that AB 252 will
provide.”
“The National College Players Association has been fighting for over two decades to ensure
college athletes are fairly compensated. The lawsuit settlement would be a historic step in the
right direction. However, college athletes desperately need broad-based protections included in
AB 252 such as the enforcement of safety standards to prevent serious injury, abuse and death.
AB 252 would make California the first state in the nation to require Title IX compliance
transparency, enforce Title IX, and guarantee a host of other athlete protections,” said Ramogi
Huma, National College Players Association (NCPA) Executive Director. The NCPA is the
sponsor of AB 252.