Discussion · Senate
Cory A. Booker Democrat
“I want the Senate to pass my amendment. The bill puts strict rules and limits on what college athletes can earn, but it does nothing to control what coaches make. My amendment puts the same rules on coaches. It limits coach pay to $5 million a year and caps buyouts.”
“Mr. President, this is one of the hypocrisies in this bill. This bill targets athletes. It is subject to endorsement deals, redtape, scrutiny, and bureaucracy. It limits the amount of revenue that schools share with athletes, but there are no comparable restrictions on coaches or any other powerful actor in college sports. This strikes me as fundamentally unfair, especially when, during all these negotiations, college after college would whisper to me and say: There is a race to the bottom on these crazy coach salaries. On endorsement deals, the amendment subjects coaches’ endorsement deals to the same approval and disclosure requirements that would apply to athletes. On compensation, the amendment caps coaches’ salaries at $5 million a year and caps coaches’ contract buyouts at no more than 1 year’s salary, because in 2025 alone, just 15 college football coaches were owed almost a quarter of a billion dollars in buyouts to not coach. This amendment is about parity. This amendment is about fairness. If the bill’s supporters believe these rules are necessary for athletes, they should be willing to apply them to coaches as well.”
Mr. President, this is one of the hypocrisies in this bill. This bill targets athletes. It is subject to endorsement deals, redtape, scrutiny, and bureaucracy. It limits the amount of revenue that schools share with athletes, but there are no comparable restrictions on coaches or any other powerful actor in college sports. This strikes me as fundamentally unfair, especially when, during all these negotiations, college after college would whisper to me and say: There is a race to the bottom on these crazy coach salaries. On endorsement deals, the amendment subjects coaches’ endorsement deals to the same approval and disclosure requirements that would apply to athletes. On compensation, the amendment caps coaches’ salaries at $5 million a year and caps coaches’ contract buyouts at no more than 1 year’s salary, because in 2025 alone, just 15 college football coaches were owed almost a quarter of a billion dollars in buyouts to not coach. This amendment is about parity. This amendment is about fairness. If the bill’s supporters believe these rules are necessary for athletes, they should be willing to apply them to coaches as well.