Leaders from North Dakota universities join Senator John Hoeven at a press conference discussing the Protect College Sports Act. From Left to right, Matt Larsen, Marshall Stewart, John Hoeven, Andrew Armacost and Bill Chaves. (KFGO News Photo / Nate Coen)
FARGO (KFGO) – Leaders from North Dakota State University and the University of North Dakota joined U.S. Senator John Hoeven at a press conference today expressing their support for the Protect College Sports Act.
The bill hopes to address what they called issues in college athletics, improve fairness for student athletes and restore fair competition standards for universities.
Hoeven was joined by NDSU President Marshall Stewart, Athletics Director Matt Larsen, UND President Andrew Armacost and Athletics Director Bill Chaves. They all agreed one goal of the bill is making sure that all athletes in all sports are getting treatment that sets them up for life after college sports.
“More than 500,000 young people that compete in college sports. That’s kind of stunning. And most of them are never going to be pros. You know, there’s just a select few that are going to make their living as a professional athlete.But for that half million plus those student athletes, that scholarship, that athletic scholarship they get, is a way for them to get a high quality education and start the career of their choice. And that’s why it’s so important we get this right” Hoeven said.
Protections for student athletes
The bill looks to benefit athletes by protecting their rights to their name, image, and likeness, often referred to as NIL. It would also stop professional athletes from dropping back into college athletics when professional opportunities fizzle out. Women’s and Olympic sports would also receive increased revenue and incentives.
Hoeven and the university leaders also expressed their concerns about deceptive agents and contracts that harm athletes, which the bill would prevent.
“ultimately, I do liken an agent to a realtor. You need transactions. If you don’t have transactions, you don’t make money.And so at the end of the day, agents may get into ears of students at some point and say, hey, the grass is greener over there. In some cases, it could be. In some cases it’s not.” University of North Dakota Athletics Director Bill Chaves said.
Protections for competitive fairness and balance
John Hoeven speaking at a press conference, UND President Andrew Armacost stands behind. (KFGO News Photo / Nate Coen)
Under the bill, Universities would also receive protections. Among them is a limit on compensation for student athletes and recruiting practices, which supporters say will benefit smaller schools. It also increases penalties for tampering and seeks to prevent player and coach poaching, one way it sets out to do this is by limiting, with exceptions, student athletes to one transfer as an undergraduate.
Consolidation of leagues and conferences would also be restricted under the bill, and fans would have improved access in local markets for watching teams play.
“But you can’t keep trying to create some kind of Super league. For example, say SEC and Big Ten or something like that, and then everybody else is playing at a different level. So it stops that kind of competition, creates some stability. And then it requires that in local broadcasting markets that there’s one free option for a local broadcaster to broadcast those games so people can see these sporting events without having to pay a fortune.” Hoeven said.
Eligibility guidelines would also be put in place, giving an athlete five years of playing time from their time of enrollment or the academic year after an athlete turns 19. It would also increase penalties for poor academic performance or participation in professional athletics.
Support from North Dakota universities
Senator John Hoeven shakes NDSU President Marshall Stewart’s hand, August 25, 2026 (KFGO News Photo / Nate Coen)
The leaders agreed that the bill would be positive for everyone involved.
“I think when we think about what we really want to do, though, we want to protect the student athlete and the academics of the institution because at the end of the day, that’s what NDSU is about, is preparing that next generation of leaders of students who go into the workforce.” NDSU President Marshall Stewart said.
NDSU Athletics Director Matt Larsen says NDSU can’t compete with the resources of larger universities in more populated parts of the United States.
“I’d like to say we’re in the forty eight and a half million dollar range from NIL and retention, but that’s not a space we live in, you know, and quite honestly, we talk a lot as an institution. If we have a student athlete who’s coming to NDSU purely because of what they’re getting in Nil, then probably that’s not the right student athlete for NDSU.” Larsen said. “We had four instances last year of four football student athletes. Again, very excited, enjoying their time at Ndsu who were contacted illegally and ended up at four power four institutions. So that’s a real world thing that we deal with every single day.”
UND President Andrew Armacost says it’s about providing a framework of rules for schools to follow. He pointed to issues with the transfer portal and large roster turnover from season-to-season.
“We also recognize it’s not perfect, but it will really do a nice job in terms of providing a system. And this is a system issue, providing a system that has limits on the transfers and the eligibility rules. And I look across this room and I see many administrators, coaches, head coaches, assistant coaches who are struggling day in and day out with how these rules are playing out? How do we manage our rosters,” Armacost said.
US Senator John Hoeven, August 25, 2026 (KFGO News Photo / Nate Coen)
Bill has bipartisan support
Hoeven says the bill has Bipartisan support, and will make it to the senate floor in September.
“Like I say, enough of the Wild West. It’s time to have some reasonable guardrails. That’s what the PCSA does first for the students, student athletes, and then for the schools.” Hoeven said.
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