Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz is still backing the Save College Sports Act, and he’s not hiding why: in a landscape that has felt chaotic for months, he sees the bill as a step toward actual structure.
Drinkwitz addressed the legislation Sunday during his pre-fall camp press conference, praising Sens. Ted Cruz, Maria Cantwell and Eric Schmitt for pushing a measure that had looked stuck more than once. His view was straightforward - the bill may not be flawless, but it would give college athletics something it badly needs.
"I know it's been back and forth, and there's been a lot of of politics being played," Drinkwitz said, "… and this bill, while not perfect, does provide some clarity and some roadmap for success in the future.
"I appreciate the very hard work that they have put in to try to create some sort of consensus and some sort of rules that will help move college athletics forward."
The Save College Sports Act, sometimes called the Cruz-Cantwell Bill, picked up support late Friday night from both the SEC and Big Ten Conferences. It’s being sold as bipartisan legislation aimed at steadying college sports, and according to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger, the proposal would give the NCAA and conferences a limited antitrust exemption to bring back the one-time transfer exception, standardize five years of eligibility, block professional athletes from returning to college, create an agent registry with a maximum fee of 5%, and set a tighter cap on athlete revenue sharing.
Drinkwitz has been on board with the idea before. He also backed the bill during a recent appearance on The Jim Rome Show, where he said the Senate version offered the clearest path forward for both the SEC and the NCAA.
"I think the best way forward is to find common ground on this bill that's in the Senate," Drinkwitz told Rome. "I think the Cruz-Cantwell Bill, I think we've been working for a long time to try and find commonality."
He added: "My thing is, let's get with the Cruz-Cantwell Bill and figure out a way to get this bill through Congress. The ball is on the 10-yard line, and we're facing some tough run defense there, but let's figure out how to get this thing across the goal line."
The Senate calendar could decide how far this goes. Dellenger reported that Senate Majority Leader John Thune likely needs to file for cloture by Monday to start moving the bill toward a vote. The chamber’s schedule is crowded, though, and if the measure doesn’t make it to the floor, the road gets much steeper.
Lawmakers are set to leave for a monthlong recess beginning Aug. 6, then return Sept. 14, when midterm elections will dominate the agenda.
Drinkwitz sounded like a coach expecting to keep one eye on camp and the other on Washington this week.
"It has been a long and hard road that we have been fighting," Drinkwitz said Sunday, "and so for there to be some sort of light at the end of the tunnel, I sure appreciate their hard work in trying to help make that happen."
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