Proposed $5 Million Coaching Salary Cap Threatens Protect College Sports Act
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Senators Murphy and Booker introduce amendment to limit varsity coach compensation, sparking concerns over antitrust issues and legislative viability.
Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) have introduced an amendment to the Protect College Sports Act that would establish a $5 million annual salary cap for varsity sports coaches, as CBS Sports first reported. According to CBS Sports, the proposed clause prohibits institutions from providing compensation exceeding $5 million per year to any coach signing a contract on or after the Act's enactment date.
Reporting from CBS Sports indicates the cap would clash with current market realities. Data from USA Today's coaching salaries database shows 47 coaches earned $5 million or more last season, while 15 college basketball coaches reached that threshold. Current top-tier salaries far exceed the proposed limit; this season, 14 coaches earn at least $10 million, including Georgia's Kirby Smart ($13 million), LSU's Lane Kiffin ($13 million), and Indiana's Curt Cignetti ($13.2 million).
CBS Sports notes that the amendment could jeopardize the bill's passage, which has seen bipartisan support in early procedural votes. The report suggests that imposing an arbitrary cap would likely trigger antitrust challenges by restricting free market competition and create dissension that Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) would seek to avoid.
While the Senate could formally pass the Protect College Sports Act as early as the end of this week, the House of Representatives is not expected to vote on the measure until after the November midterm elections. CBS Sports describes the inclusion of the salary cap in the final bill as very unlikely.