DENVER — There could be more changes and regulations coming to college sports after the Senate overwhelmingly passed 77-22 the Protect College Sports Act (PCSA) on Monday. Specifically, this legislation would create regulations over Name, Image and Likeness (NIL), set transfer limits, regulate agents, and reinforce NCAA authority.
Football runs in Mike Sanford's blood. The Valor Christian head coach played collegiately, coached at CU Boulder, and followed in the footsteps of his father, who coached for nearly five decades across all levels. He believes the PCSA would help regulate collegiate sports and support student-athletes in getting their degrees.
"I think there’s going to be more accountability. There's going to be more guardrails around the process. I think the thing that I'm most excited about in terms of accountability is that you can't just cancel a player's aid right there because of athletic reasons, and that should be the case," Sanford said.
Hear more from the Coaches in the Video Player Below
Another takeaway Sanford pointed out was agency having regulations and the protections it would have on these young talented players. The bill would require agents to register with a state and cap the endorsement fees at 5%.
"There was some shady deals that were being made from a lot of things that I've heard from agents signing with very unrealistic take home pay based off of the percentages and a lot of these young people didn't know and they signed a contract that it's a legal document. All of a sudden you're paying way more than what should be the normal expecting price for somebody who's representing you, especially in the contract side," Sanford explained.
MSU Denver head men's soccer coach, Nick Kirchhof, also sees the ever-changing landscape in sports. Now, in his seventh fall season, he said the last five years of college athletics have changed dramatically.
"I think something needs to get done, like right now it truly is the Wild West like everyone keeps describing it. There's been so many changes in the last 5 to 6 years," Kirchhof said.
He explained the guidelines have been changed by court cases or individual decision without involving all stakeholders. Kirchhof believes there needs to be a common ground which all can agree are 'necessary for the good of the sport.'
"I love college sports because I get to spend four years with them, seeing them grow from boys to men and seeing that growth and seeing them with their friends and develop those meeting relationships. Some of that gets lost in the business right now of college sports," Kirchhof said.
The PCSA would establish a five-year limit on athletic eligibility and set a one-transfer rule with limited exceptions. Kirchhof expressed these regulations could be 'a tremendous add,' but said some elements could also be tweaked.
"Things are changing and so I think just bringing back just that common ground would be so tremendous for the sport and then we can get back to just enjoying supporting our college teams and not worrying about who's cheating, who's spending more money and who's got the shiniest things," Kirchhof said.
Next up, the bill will go to the House of Representatives. President Donald Trump has already expressed his support on social media. Lawmakers will have to start over in the next Congress if the bill doesn't pass both chambers by the end of the year.
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.