U.S. Senators Reintroduce Bipartisan NCAA Accountability Act

Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn (R) and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker (D) have reintroduced the "NCAA Accountability Act." This follows multiple hearings held over the past few years on NCAA operations, including how the NCAA handles investigations and enforcement of its bylaws.

The bipartisan bill seeks to enhance due process protections for intercollegiate athletic programs under investigation for potential rule violations by the NCAA. Under the proposed legislation, investigations by the NCAA Enforcement staff would involve greater transparency, expediency, and consistency. Because of the increase of name, image, and likeness (NIL) arrangements and their use as a recruiting tool, combined with several states passing their own NIL-related legislation, there are many questions and concerns about the NCAA's parameters and protocols for conducting investigations and how penalties are imposed by the NCAA Infractions Committee, especially in the context of