This week, Athletes.org (AO) on behalf of its 5,000 member athletes, sent a letter to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation responding to the potential legislation, the Student Athlete Fairness & Enforcement Act of 2025 (SAFE Act).
While the SAFE Act moves parts of the industry forward, several provisions risk taking athletes backward: limiting their freedom, reinforcing outdated power structures and missing the opportunity to build a fair, modern college sports system.
Athletes.org urges lawmakers to stand on the side of athletes and make targeted changes to ensure this bill truly lives up to its name: fair, enforceable and athlete-centered.
In the letter, AO highlights exactly where the SAFE Act can advance important initiatives for college athletes, but also highlights the opportunities for improvement.
Athletes.org supports the SAFE Act’s intent to:
- Affirm athletes’ rights to monetize their name, image, and likeness (NIL);
- Protect against discrimination and ensure equal treatment for all athletes, including international competitors;
- Guarantee scholarship continuity and the freedom to pursue a chosen course of study;
- Establish enforceable health and safety standards;
- Strengthen whistleblower protections; and
- Promote standard contract safeguards that reduce predatory terms and practices.
Necessary Revisions
While the bill includes several positive provisions, Athletes.org recommends the following changes, among others outlined in the letter, to fully align the legislation with athlete rights and modern labor standards:
- Collective Bargaining Rights: Recognize college athletes’ right to organize and bargain collectively through a players association.
- Pay-for-Play and NIL Distinction: Treat direct compensation from schools to athletes for athletic services as pay-for-play, not NIL, with all corresponding rights and protections.
- Reporting Mandates: Eliminate reporting requirements on athletes and collectives, which create a double standard and risk suppressing fair market rates.
- “Valid Business Purpose” Restrictions: Remove vague tests that allow institutions to police or restrict legitimate athlete endorsement deals.
- Open Records Coverage: Maintain open records laws for university-negotiated athlete agreements at public institutions to ensure transparency.
- Agent Regulation: Limit agent requirements to state registration and anti-fraud protections. Registration with athletic associations or unilateral fee caps should not be imposed; fee structures should be collectively bargained.
- Transfers, Eligibility and Health & Safety: Protect these areas while establishing sport-specific rules through collective bargaining between athletes and institutions.
With these revisions, the SAFE Act can do what college sports has needed for decades: protect athletes’ rights, ensure transparency and build a fair system that rewards the very people who make college sports possible and profitable.
Athletes.org stands ready to collaborate with lawmakers and stakeholders to refine bill language and support effective implementation, including AO’s discussion draft, the “Save College Athletics Act.”
Athletes.org, “The Players Association for College Athletes,” is a voluntary membership organization whose membership includes more than 5,000 current and former college athletes. AO exists to educate, organize, and represent college athletes as their chosen players association in an attempt to ensure their seat at the table in the ever-changing landscape of college sports.
– ATHLETES.ORG –
