NCAA urges California governor not to sign ‘fair pay’ bill for college athletes

The NCAA Board of Governors urged California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) in a letter released Wednesday to reject a state bill that moves to pay college athletes.

In the six-paragraph letter, the board warned that California colleges may be declared ineligible for NCAA sports games if Newsom signs the bill — which aims to allow college athletes to get paid for the use of their names, images and likenesses — citing an unfair recruiting advantage, according to The Associated Press.

“We’ve explored how it might impact the association and what it might do. We believe it would inappropriately affect interstate commerce,” Donald Remy, NCAA chief operating officer and chief legal officer, told the AP. “It is not intended to be a threat at all. It’s a reflection about the way California is going about this.”

“I’m not saying there will never be a day we would consider [legal action], but it is not meant to be a threat,” Remy added.{mosads}

The state legislature approved the bill on Monday, and the state Senate is set to debate the measure next week, according to the AP. If it passes, Newsom would have 30 days to decide to sign or veto it.

A group of schools in California, including UCLA, Stanford and the University of Southern California, issued a statement urging the state legislature to wait until the NCAA board’s October meeting — where it’s expected that officials may loosen restrictions around athlete compensation — before voting on the proposal, the AP reports.

Current NCAA rules bar athletes from being able to profit from play.

“We all want to protect and support our student-athletes, and the Pac-12 has played a leadership role in national reforms for student-athletes over the past years,” the statement said. “The question is what’s the best way to continue to support our student-athletes. We think having more information and informed views will be helpful.”

Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.) introduced a bill in March that would allow NCAA athletes to profit off their image and likeness. Other lawmakers, including Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), have spoken out in favor of paying college athletes.