SEC Breaks Silence After Protect College Sports Act Meeting With Key U.S. Senators

University of Tennessee Chancellor Donde Plowman issued a statement Tuesday on behalf of the presidents and chancellors of the Southeastern Conference following a video conference with Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell.

The subject was the Protect College Sports Act, the 111-page bipartisan bill introduced May 27 that has quickly become one of the most potentially consequential pieces of legislation in the history of college athletics.

Plowman, who chairs the SEC's council of presidents and chancellors, called the session "a productive dialogue" and said the group shared "common views" with both senators while also acknowledging positive elements of the bill.

The statement signals a notable shift in tone from the SEC, which joined the Big Ten just one week ago in a joint statement that flatly declared the two conferences do not support the Protect College Sports Act as currently written.

What the SEC wants changed in the bill

The SEC's statement was cooperative but pointed. Plowman outlined four specific demands the conference wants addressed before lending its full support: a consistent national framework, appropriate rulemaking authority, safeguards against unnecessary litigation and effective alignment with the House settlement's revenue-sharing model.

Those are not minor requests.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has been a central figure in the conference's push to reshape the Protect College Sports Act before offering full support. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

The original joint SEC-Big Ten statement argued the bill does not meaningfully preempt the patchwork of state laws, shifts ongoing rulemaking to Congress and likely expands litigation rather than reducing it, which directly contradicts what Cruz and Cantwell say the bill is designed to accomplish.

The two conferences hold the most leverage in any negotiation, given their control over the College Football Playoff and their combined financial dominance of the sport.

Where the national debate stands

The SEC's softened tone comes as congressional momentum around the bill continues to build.

A Senate Commerce Committee hearing took place June 3, where former Alabama head coach Nick Saban, Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua and Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould testified before lawmakers. In his opening statement, Saban urged Congress to act quickly, warning of the unchecked speed at which the system was spiraling.

SEC releases statement from Tennessee president Donde Plowman on the call today with Cruz/Cantwell on the Protect College Sports Act: pic.twitter.com/T4NkSID9Lw
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) June 9, 2026

Meanwhile, the ACC and Big 12 have voiced support for the bill, leaving the SEC and Big Ten holding the biggest cards given their CFP influence.

A roundtable is also set for this week with Memphis head coach Charles Huff among the invited witnesses. The SEC's willingness to now describe Tuesday's conversation as productive, and to pledge cooperation with Cruz and Cantwell, suggests the conference knows it needs to be at the table if it wants to shape what ultimately passes.

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