Why LSU Supports The Protect College Sports Act Despite Its Damage To Men's Basketball

The NCAA's newest act might not make every sport happy, but LSU still shows its support.

NC State Wolfpack head coach Will Wade walks the court during a practice session ahead of the first four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The NCAA's newest proposed bill, the Protect College Sports Act, is scheduled to have a hearing on Wednesday morning, making it the most significant hearing in the past seven years for the NCAA.

The Act has already received major support from power conference programs, the ACC and the Big 12, who's commisioners have sent in letters of support to the senators who proposed the act. The act has also seen a letter of support signed by chancellors, presidents, benefactors and board chairmen of various universities across the nation.

LSU has also shown its support, with the most notable, and maybe most surprising signature coming from President Wade Rousse. Is he aware of what this act can do to LSU's basketball program - the program that he just formed?

The Wade Dynamic

Mar 20, 2025; Providence, RI, USA; McNeese State Cowboys head coach Will Wade (right) celebrates with McNeese University president Wade Rousse (middle) and athletic director Heath Schroyer (left) after defeating the Clemson Tigers at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

LSU named Rousse president in November of 2025, following his one-year presidency at the in-state university, McNeese State. Five months later, former McNeese State men's basketball coach Will Wade was rehired to LSU's men's basketball program.

No, this was not a coincidence. After being fired from LSU in 2022, Wade took the head coach job at McNeese State, spending both the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 seasons with the Cowboys, before his lone season at NC State last year. His time at McNeese was highlighted by his relationship with Rousse, who served as vice president in 2023 and president in 2024.

The two have always had a tight professional and personal relationship, backing each other in public and sharing the vision for the renovation of LSU's men's basketball program. Rousse was the one who brought up Wade's name when the university needed a new basketball head coach, ultimately deciding on Wade's return.

But for Rousse, putting his name and support on the Protect College Sports Act is the exact opposite of publicly backing up his close friend Wade. If the act gets passed, the talented, expensive, international stars that Wade has recruited to join his roster next fall will all be declared ineligible, per the ban on allowing athletes to return to college after playing in the professional leauges.

Rousse knows that, and so do the rest of the signatures on that list that are showing their support. This act is not basketball-friendly in the slightest. Many current basketball programs in the NCAA feature international stars who have previously played in professional international leauges, or older players who are, if not out, are close to out of their five-year eligibility, as the act is also enforcing a strict, five-year eligibility cap.

The Economic-Driven Reasoning

Dec 1, 2025; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU president Wade Rousse, center, applauds LSU new head coach Lane Kiffin, right, at South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

In this sense, Rousse is not being a great friend. But he is being a great economist, which is how any university president would, and is going about their support. It's not about making every sport immediately satisfied; it's about legally protecting the university while supporting its athletes.

The act, creating strict, national laws about revenue-sharing and player earnings, will essentially protect LSU Athletics from any lawsuits, which the athletic department has seen its fair share of.

Under the strict budget cap for player compensation, players are legally barred from suing the school for antitrust violations. As schools will have a strictly enforced cap, which is not a number, but 22% of their athletic revenue, all athletes will receive a share of the revenue pie. Those slices will not be even from sport to sport, but at least they won't be fought in a courtroom.

No more lawsuits means no more extra spending. If that means sacrificing Wade's international stars, then it's a sacrifice Rousse is willing to take. Not because he's a bad friend, but because he's a Grade A economist in the driver's seat of one of the most expensive athletic programs in the country.

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