NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
Rep. Michael Baumgartner, R-Washington, ripped into Big Ten Conference Commissioner Tony Petitti on Wednesday after a vote on the SCORE Act was delayed in the House of Representatives.
The Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act is federal lawmakers’ attempt to regulate name, image and likeness agreements in college athletics. The bill was put through a procedural vote to move to the House, but the final vote was canceled two hours before it was scheduled.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti speaks during an NCAA college football news conference at Lucas Oil Stadium July 23, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, file)
Baumgartner is one of the House Republicans who disagrees with the SCORE Act. He wrote on
“If the Big 10 commissioner spent LESS money trying to buy votes from Washington DC lobbyists and made MORE effort to STOP being a bully jerk, then Congress could pass reasonable legislation to improve college sports,” he added.
He agreed with Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, that the bill “is not ready for prime time.”
Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Arvell Reese (8) tackles Michigan Wolverines running back Bryson Kuzdzal (24) during the NCAA football game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan on November 29, 2025. (Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
SCORE ACT RECEIVES SUPPORT FROM MORE THAN 20 CONSERVATIVE GROUPS AS FIGHT AGAINST NIL REFORM HOLDS ON
“Congress should (form) a Select Committee on College Sports to unravel many of the legitimate issues raised below,” Baumgartner wrote on X, highlighting Roy’s concerns. “One of the problems this year is that four committees have jurisdiction over the issue and they lack the coordination to create a necessary bipartisan solution. Ultimately, this will also require the president’s involvement (a precedent – Teddy Roosevelt helped Congress save college football 100 years ago).”
PK Press Club Digital has contacted the Big Ten for comment.
The White House approved the law Tuesday, but Roy, along with Reps. Byron Donalds, R-Florida, and Scott Perry, R-Pennsylvania, voted with Democrats not to have the law debated.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill October 20, 2025 in Washington, DC (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PK Press Club APP
The SCORE Act would give the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption in hopes of protecting the NCAA from potential lawsuits over eligibility rules and would prohibit athletes from becoming employees of their schools. It prohibits schools from using tuition fees to fund zero payments. Republicans could try to vote on the law as early as Thursday.
