will feature NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson on Tuesday during SportsCenter before the Senate vote on the Protect College Sports Act. The appearance comes after Chris Murphy said the bill “protects the billions of dollars that coaches and sports industry executives are making over the suppression of compensation for some of the most highly valued athletes in the world.”
Johnson is scheduled for the 6 p.m. ET edition, giving him a national platform the day after he joined Murphy on a media call to criticize the measure. moved the interview to Tuesday so the debate would air before the Senate takes it up in the next 10 days.
Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell
Ted Cruz said Monday, “In the next 10 days, the Senate is voting on the Protect College Sports Act.” He later appeared with Maria Cantwell in Washington, D.C., alongside Kelvin Sampson, Mark Few and John Calipari as he argued the bill “cracks down on fake NIL,” “cracks down on a booster in a back alley with a bag of cash” and “ensures the system can remain competitive and fair.”
The bill would give the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption to set new rules on athlete eligibility, transfers and player compensation. It also would limit conference realignment and a future super league, while setting a revenue-sharing hard cap that would bar schools from paying athletes more than $48.5 million combined per year.
Derrick Johnson and Chris Murphy
Johnson said Monday, “What makes this bill so inadequate and in many ways offensive is the overture as if it’s going to do something special for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.” He added, “They deserve direct federal investment, not a political trade-off that shields powerful college sports institutions, while asking black athletes to surrender rights, leverage, and a voice in the billion-dollar industry.”
The bill includes a section titled HBCU SPORTS MEDIA AND CONNECTIVITY PROGRAM that would award grants for broadband, technology and media infrastructure. Colorado coach Deion Sanders touts that program in a TV ad for PCSA, while has faced backlash after allowing Cruz to promote the bill on College GameDay.
For readers watching the Senate process, the practical step is simple: the vote window Cruz described is now tied to a broadcast that puts supporters and opponents on the same network before lawmakers act. If the Senate moves in that 10-day span, the arguments aired this week will shape the final push over athlete pay, eligibility rules and the HBCU grant language.
