COLUMBUS, OH – Jim Cavale, Chairman and Co-Founder of Athletes.org (AO), stressed the importance of partnership and collective bargaining for college athletes in front of the Ohio House Workforce and Higher Education Committee Wednesday. Cavale testified in support of House Bill 184–the “Marvin Harrison Jr. Bill”–which seeks to protect college athletes from exploitative contracts and strengthen their rights.
Cavale was joined by other proponents of H.B. 184, including the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) and he emphasized that college athletes should have the same protections that are afforded to professional athletes.
“We [college sports participants] don’t have uniform contracts like they do in the NFL. We don’t have agent certifications and regulations like we do in the NFL,” said Cavale. “We also don’t have free agency rules and many other rules that need to be set, and have been set really well and effectively, in the great business that the NFL is. And the reason is, is because we don’t have a partnership between the players in the schools and college athletics. And that’s the most sustainable way to set rules.”
Cavale highlighted how House Bill 184 would prohibit NIL (name, image, and likeness) contracts from extending beyond a college athlete’s eligibility and set clear boundaries on agent representation, contract length, and financial safeguards such as trust fund requirements. Using Marvin Harrison Jr.’s high-profile NIL deal as a cautionary example, Cavale warned lawmakers about the risks of multi-year contracts that outlast college careers and lack adequate athlete representation.
“That’s why we at Athletes.org are fighting for a partnership between college athletes and the schools they play for that looks similar to what the NFLPA has done with the NFL to create a partnership – a partnership that works,” he said.
Cavale also emphasized AO’s role as the leading players association for college athletes, representing more than 4,000 active NCAA Division I athletes and advocating for their voices, support, and income opportunities – especially during this time of great change and the impending House v. NCAA settlement.
When referring to the upcoming enforcement entity backed by the NCAA, Cavale noted that this was an opportunity to create collective bargaining at the college level.
“That entity is a good example of an entity that schools could be members of to collectively negotiate all these rules with the athletes,” Cavale said. “We’ve built the vehicle– Athletes.org– for the athletes to be able to negotiate these rules, but the schools still have to figure out who their vehicle is. And once they do, there’s a possibility to bring structure to all of college athletics.”
Cavale concluded by reaffirming AO’s commitment to organizing and empowering athletes, ensuring they have a genuine seat at the table as college sports enter a new era.
Athletes.org, “The Players Association for College Athletes,” is a voluntary membership organization whose membership includes more than 4,000 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.