Press Releases

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03), a former Division-I volleyball player, issued the following statement regarding the newly announced hearing on college athletes’ name, image, and likeness rights on September 30^th in the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee, which she sits on:

“For far too long, college athletes have been forced to scrape by in a system based on the guise of amateurism while executives, conferences, and colleges pocketed billions. After finally succumbing to overwhelming public pressure, varying state laws, and a scathing Supreme Court decision, that system has rightly changed.”

“While the NCAA’s change of position is better late than never, their decades-long refusal to budge from what was clearly an untenable stance has left everyone in college athletics scrambling. Most alarmingly, athletes now face a patchwork of regulations across state lines. Federal action is necessary to create a standard that preserves college athletes’ right to be compensated for their name, image, and likeness no matter the state they’re in.”

“I’m grateful to Chairman Pallone and Chairwoman Schakowsky for their commitment to this issue and for calling this important hearing. I look forward to the witnesses’ testimony and continuing our work in both chambers to craft a legislative solution that best delivers for the backbone of college sports – the athletes.”

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