UCAA Player Leaders Oluchi Okananwa (Maryland), Brooke Daniels (Michigan), Jada Williams (LSU), and Grace Slaughter (Missouri) today released the following statement:

“Last week, the SCORE Act failed to reach the House floor for a vote, which felt like Congress finally heard our voice as college athletes. But the legislation announced yesterday by Senators Cruz and Cantwell is a disappointment, to say the least.

“As leaders of the United College Athletes Association (UCAA), we unanimously oppose the ‘Protect College Sports Act.’ Despite its name, this is just SCORE Act 2.0: it gifts the NCAA a bailout through a broad antitrust exemption, imposes a salary cap that will force players to take pay cuts, and blocks our path to securing a collective bargaining agreement.

“A hard salary cap with no floor will effectively dismantle Title IX and leave women’s sports behind. That’s why the Congressional Black Caucus, NAACP, AFL-CIO, and other supporters unanimously oppose the SCORE Act because it’s a bad deal for athletes. SCORE Act 2.0 is no different.

“The senators who drafted this bill without us, behind closed doors, claim this legislation preserves the opportunity for college athletes to collectively bargain. That assertion is false. The salary cap, transfer limits, and other restrictions on our working conditions are only possible through an antitrust exemption that effectively blocks our path to a CBA.

“The NCAA does not need special treatment from the federal government. The path forward is simple and obvious: the NCAA needs a professional structure with a CBA, like all professional sports leagues. It’s time for us to unite our power and block this shameless attempt to force the SCORE Act to pass under a different name.”

About the United College Athletes Association

Founded in 2024, the UCAA is the only nonprofit players association independently led by current and former college athletes. The UCAA’s purpose is to protect, educate, and empower college athletes across all sports and serve as their voice, with the goal of securing a safe, fair, and sustainable system for athletes through safety mandates, academic standards, and economic protections.

Learn more at www.theucaa.org and follow the UCAA at @TheUCAA.