Rep Hakeem Jeffries questions SCORE Act motives, likens halted vote to Lane Kiffin’s LSU move amid NIL debate

The projected SCORE Act promises to supply the NCAA with a constricted antitrust exemption successful hopes of protecting the enactment that regulates pupil athletics from imaginable lawsuits implicit eligibility rules, and it would prohibit athletes from becoming employees of their schools.

Shortly earlier it was acceptable to beryllium brought to the level connected Wednesday, House enactment canceled a ballot connected the SCORE Act. The determination came amid concerns astir whether Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., had secured the required votes for passage.

Following the delay, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., voiced his concerns astir the chaotic events starring up to what yet became a failed effort to determination the measure forward. 

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U.S. House number person Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) during a quality league astatine the US Capitol successful Washington, D.C. connected Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"The question that a batch of radical are asking this week related to the SCORE Act authorities is who precisely directed Mike Johnson and Steve Scalise to bring this measure to the level this week? Was it the large donors connected to LSU? That authorities would not person benefited assemblage athletes. It would wounded assemblage athletes, instrumentality distant the antitrust exemption. It would preempt the quality of states to really walk authorities that promotes the health, the information and the well-being of their ain assemblage students." 

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Jeffries continued: "It would instrumentality distant ineligible rights to question redress the organized labour unions crossed the state were powerfully opposed due to the fact that it undermined the quality of assemblage athletes and undermined their state to negotiate, took distant corporate bargaining rights. And of course, the players' associations crossed each sports league led by the NFL Players Association were opposed to it due to the fact that they concluded, erstwhile evaluating the measure connected the merits, that it would really wounded assemblage athletes, not assistance them."

Jeffries past facetiously renamed the SCORE Act to the "Lane Kiffin Protection Act."

Ole Miss Rebels caput manager Lane Kiffin speaks to the media during SEC Media Day astatine Omni Atlanta Hotel connected July 14, 2025. (Jordan Godfree/Imagn Images)

"Why would Mike Johnson and Steve Scalise deliberation it was a bully thought to bring the Lane Kiffin Protection Act to the level of the House of Representatives? Legislation that would bash thing to payment assemblage athletes and everything to payment coaches similar Lane Kiffin, who got retired of town, abandoned his players successful the mediate of a playoff tally to spell get a $100 cardinal declaration from LSU, the location authorities of Mike Johnson and Steve Scalise."

(L-R) Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA), House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), enactment successful the archetypal nail ceremonial for the operation of the 2025 statesmanlike inauguration level connected the West Front of the U.S. Capitol Building connected Sept. 18, 2024 successful Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

"People are asking the question, wherefore did you determine to bring this measure this week with each the different issues that the state is demanding that we absorption on, led by the affordability situation that they assertion is simply a scam and a hoax, but that the American radical cognize is precise real." 

A constrictive 210-209 procedural ballot was capable to get the measure to the House.

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The SCORE Act calls connected schools to stock revenue, per presumption of the House settlement, per presumption of the House colony to the tune of 22% "if specified rules supply that specified excavation bounds is AT LEAST 22 percent of the mean yearly assemblage sports gross of the 70 highest-earning schools." 

The measure would besides prohibit schools from utilizing pupil fees to money NIL payments.

Proponents of the projected authorities person argued the SCORE Act would present immoderate stableness to assemblage sports amid a scenery that progressively lacks capable regulation. However, critics person pointed to the anticipation of returning arguably excessively overmuch powerfulness backmost to schools and the NCAA.

Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

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