Rep. Jeffries blasts SCORE Act, labeling it the ‘Lane Kiffin Protection Act’

The proposed SCORE Act promises to provide a limited antitrust exemption to the NCAA in hopes of shielding the body that regulates student athletics from potential lawsuits over its eligibility rules, and would prohibit athletes from being employees of their schools.

Shortly before he was to take the floor Wednesday, House leadership canceled a vote on the SCORE Act. The decision comes amid concerns about whether House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has the necessary votes for passage.

Following the delay, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DY) expressed concern about the chaotic events that ultimately led to a failed effort to move the bill forward.

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“The question a lot of people are asking this week regarding the SCORE Act legislation is who exactly directed Mike Johnson and Steve Scalise to introduce this bill this week? Was it major donors with ties to LSU? This legislation would not benefit college athletes. It would harm college athletes, eliminate antitrust immunity. It would get in the way of states’ ability to actually pass laws that support the health, safety and welfare of their college students.”

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Jeffries continued: “This would eliminate their legal right to seek compensation. Organized labor unions across the country strongly opposed it because it undermined the skills of college athletes and undermined their freedom to negotiate, took away their collective bargaining rights. And of course, the players’ associations in every sports league, led by the NFL Players Association, opposed it because, in evaluating the bill on the merits, they concluded that it would hurt college athletes rather than help them.”

Jeffries later playfully renamed the SCORE Act the “Lane Kiffin Protection Act.”

Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin speaks to the media during SEC Media Day at the Omni Atlanta Hotel on July 14, 2025. (Jordan Godfree/Imagn Images)

“Why did Mike Johnson and Steve Scalise think it was a good idea to introduce the Lane Kiffin Protection Act in the House of Representatives? Legislation that did nothing to benefit college athletes and would have benefited coaches like Lane Kiffin, who left town and left his players in the middle of the playoff run to get a $100 million contract from Mike Johnson and Steve Scalise’s hometown LSU.”

(L-R) House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) attend the first nailing ceremony for the construction of the 2025 presidential inauguration platform on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on September 18, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“People are asking the question: Why did you decide to introduce this bill this week, along with all the other issues that the country demands we focus on, spearheaded by the affordability crisis that they claim is a hoax and a hoax but that the American people know is very real?”

A narrow procedural vote of 210 to 209 was sufficient to advance the bill to the House.

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The SCORE Act calls for schools to share revenue at a rate of 22 percent, under the terms of the House agreement, “if such rules provide that such pool limit shall be AT LEAST 22 percent of the average annual collegiate athletic revenue of the 70 highest-earning schools.”

The bill would also ban schools from using student fees to fund NIL payments.

Proponents of the proposed legislation argued that the SCORE Act would bring some stability to college sports in an increasingly regulated environment. But critics have pointed to the possibility that arguably too much power will return to the schools and the NCAA.

Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

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