| Friday, August 28, 2026 |
SPORTS
| College sports meltdown fuels push on Capitol Hill | |
 | The ongoing public outcry over pro athletes attempting to come back to college sports is boosting the Senate's bipartisan college sports bill. A series of summer headlines about professional football and basketball players trying to get back in the college game are landing ahead of the Senate's return in September --- when the body plans to take up the Protect College Sports Act. Tim Buckley, an NCAA spokesman, told Semafor that public "outrage" over the issue has "really changed some minds on Capitol Hill about the need for this legislation" and could help shore up support. "The events over the past week have been helpful to help us drive home the point. You don't need to take our word for it or the conference's word for it," Buckley said. "This piece of legislation gives senators the ability to fix this problem for their constituents." "The polls are really clear about this and you don't need to be a political genius to understand it is wildly unpopular ... to use college sports as a fallback," Buckley said. |
| Attorney says Sankey, SEC in violation of Louisiana law | |
| Tuesday's statement by Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey did not end the back-and-forth between the players fighting for a fifth year of eligibility and the SEC. It was the next step. As for the response from the counsel representing the 33 players who won a temporary restraining order in Louisiana's 19th district, it was emphatic. "It is our position that the SEC, and its commissioner Sankey, are in direct violation of Louisiana law," Tony Clayton who, along with The Texas Trial Group, represents the players, told LouisianaSports.net. The SEC, along with other conferences like the Big Ten, believe their newly-formed rules will be enforceable and a deterrent to players returning to the college ranks after signing with and/or participating with professional teams. The thought process is the NCAA may lose its power in the court of law, but the league offices still control participation on the field. Clayton doesn't see it that way. |
| BYU restructures athletic department; school vice president will oversee football program | |
| BYU shook up its athletic department on Thursday, splitting football off from the other 20 sports. Head football coach Kalani Sitake will report directly to a university vice president while athletic director Brian Santiago will oversee the remaining programs. The decision's dramatic timing, nine days before the season's first football game, underscored both the hurtling rate of change in college sports and rumors about friction between Sitake and Santiago. "BYU Athletics shares a common focus on helping our student-athletes succeed not just on the field, but also in the classroom and, most importantly, in their Christian discipleship," advancement vice president Keith Vorkink said in a statement. Sitake now reports directly to Vorkink, who is also Santiago's supervisor. The sudden disruption comes a month after Sitake, without naming names or making specific requests, called publicly for additional investment in the school's flagship sport to help it get over the hump and into college football's playoff. BYU officials believed the need for change couldn't wait until after the football season. |
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