Pac-12 Sports: Conference Commissioner Discusses New California Law About Endorsements

The Pac-12 immediately came out against the Fair Pay for Play Act after the bill became law in California last month. Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott expanded on his thoughts on the law in a video shot during Monday's Pac-12 women's basketball media day.

The law, which gives California college athletes the right to earn money for endorsements and to hire agents, does not go into effect until 2023.

While trying not to step on the toes of California lawmakers, Scott suggested they cannot see the unintended consquences of the law. He claimed the law will have unintended consquences regarding recruiting, as well as adding burdens on the college athletic department's finances.

He was also concerned about the impact on Olympic sports and women's sports.

Scott also noted that a number of other states are also considering laws like the one passed in California, and he said he would much prefer a national law or rule instead of different laws in different states.

Scott is in an unusual situation because four of the Pac-12's colleges are in California, but the other eight are not. Abiding by the California law in 2023 would mean that some colleges would be abiding by different laws than some other schools in the conference.

One of the reasons California legislators delayed implmentation of the law to 2023 was to give national organizations to come up with a rule that would apply to all colleges.

It is noteworthy that the California law passed with overwhelming support by both Democrats and Republicans. The notion is that change on a national basis is taking place to slowly, and that a major legislative change may be needed to facilitate the changes needed to apply to the current climate of college sports.