Former football coach Sen. Tommy Tuberville rips growing influence of money in college sports, wants changes
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., a former college football coach, is taking aim at the growing influence of money in college sports amid the rise of name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation for student athletes and the conference realignment.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., weighed in on the debate on women's sports.
The former Auburn football coach joined OutKick's "Hot Mic" with Hutton & Withrow show this week and described transgender athletes' participation in women's sports as "asinine."
"It's ridiculous, I can't believe we are even having to talk about this," Tuberville said. "Biological boys and men playing in women's sports is asinine to be honest with you."
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Sen. Tommy Tuberville attends the House and Senate committee markup of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 in the Dirksen Building on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Tumberville added that he will continue to push for legislation that addresses this topic.
"We're gonna fight this every day," Tuberville said.
"I've got the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act… I've got over 30 sponsors from other senators."
Tuberville and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., introduced the Protecting Athletes, Schools and Sports Act, or PASS Act, in July. The move comes two years after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the NCAA had illegally restricted education-based benefits that could be used as compensation to student athletes.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama speaks to reporters after the prisoner swap for WNBA player Brittney Griner. (Fox News Digital/Jon Michael Raasch)
Tuberville previously took aim at the growing influence of money in college sports amid the rise of name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation for student-athletes.
"I'm fine with it. I think it's good that players make money off their name, but it's gotten out of hand," Tuberville told Fox News Digital in September.
"Right now it's a Wild West. It's out of control. Money is flying everywhere. Some players are getting their money, some players aren't. There's no oversight. So we're trying to put some oversight into this."
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Auburn University head coach Tommy Tuberville takes the field at Jordan-Hare stadium in Auburn, Alabama. (Todd Van Emst)
He also spoke out about the conference realignment, which is partly being done in an effort to land more lucrative television deals.
"That's what's happening here with these universities that are going from pretty much from the West Coast trying to compete against the East Coast teams because they have really nothing going for them when it comes to TV because most of the people on the East Coast that really love college sports are in bed," Tuberville said.
Two schools located in California, USC and UCLA, are planning to leave the Pac-12 Conference and join the Big Ten instead. The Big Ten has traditionally been comprised of schools located in Midwestern and northeastern states.
Fox News' Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.
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