Congress ‘fails’ NIL college sports bill
Pak Gazette Chief Congressional Correspondent Chad Pergram reports on House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries questioning an NIL bill’s link to an LSU training controversy and more in ‘Special Report.’
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EXCLUSIVE: Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., plan to fight for college athletes to help secure their future by investing their name, image and likeness earnings.
Blackburn and Cantwell introduced the Helping College Students Thrive with Long-Term Income (HUSTLE) Act, according to a statement obtained by Pak Gazette Digital. The senators said college athletes would have the opportunity to deposit money into “tax-advantaged investment accounts for student athletes, require trustees to provide financial education, and establish regulations to prevent abuses.”
Senators promised that the HUSTLE Act would also help college athletes improve their financial literacy and better navigate the Wild West of NIL.
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Virginia offensive lineman Drake Metcalf (60) reacts in the first half of the NCAA college football Atlantic Coast Conference championship game against Duke, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
“College athletes are now making billions of dollars off their name, image and likeness, and rightly so. We must empower these students to safeguard their financial future and protect themselves against dishonest actors,” Blackburn said in a statement. “The HUSTLE Act would allow college athletes to invest their earnings in a tax-advantaged account that grows over time, strengthen financial literacy, and create safeguards to prevent exploitation by dishonest actors.”
Cantwell hoped that “unscrupulous agents” would no longer take advantage of college athletes.
“This bill focuses on the financial security of college athletes who are finally earning compensation for their name, image and likeness (NIL),” Cantwell added. “Many of these athletes will be in a unique situation where they will earn NIL income for a relatively short period of their careers. Our bill will establish a dedicated NIL Account where they will be able to set aside some of that income and build long-term savings.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., speaks as U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on October 7, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“The bill will also protect athletes and their NIL earnings from financial exploitation by unscrupulous agents. As athletes have been able to earn NIL, some have been victims of agents who have charged them shockingly high commissions or attempted to appropriate the athlete’s intellectual property rights. Our bill will curb these abuses and require agents to register with a state.”
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Under the HUSTLE Act, college athletes will be able to use NIL earnings up to the annual gift tax exclusion amount in a NIL investment account, allowing their funds to grow tax-free. The bill would allow up to $35,000 in unused NIL account funds to be rolled over into an IRA or retirement account once the athlete has left college athletics for at least one year.
Trustees would be required to provide financial education to ensure athletes know how to manage their money. The HUSTLE Act would also direct the Treasury Department to develop regulations to prevent abuse and exploitation, report and track contribution limits, and define other expenses.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, left, and Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., during a confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The HUSTLE Act would also update the Sports Agent Trust and Accountability Act. Athlete agents would have to register with a state before being able to represent athletes in NIL deals. Agent fees would be capped at 5% and would certify their registration with any athletic association that governs the athlete’s sport.
Deceptive practices would be banned and national governing bodies would be required to develop an online registry of registered and certified athlete agents to increase transparency for athletes and their families.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey was among those who supported the HUSTLE Act.
“The Southeastern Conference is grateful for the continued commitment of legislators to address the changing needs of student-athletes,” he said in a statement. “The HUSTLE Act represents a constructive approach in establishing tax-advantaged NIL investment accounts that encourage financial literacy, long-term savings, and responsible earnings management.
UConn guard Azzi Fudd (35) drives to the basket as DePaul guard Devin Hagemann (7) defends in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Storrs, Connecticut. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
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“We appreciate Congress’ sustained bipartisan commitment to developing consistent national standards that support student-athletes and improve their opportunities in this rapidly changing environment.”
