All 16 members of the Big 12 Conference have officially signed the College Sport Commission’s participation agreement, according to a Friday report by ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
The league becomes the first to have each of its members ink onto the agreement, which sets a compliance framework for revenue sharing and also waives a school’s rights to challenge the CSC’s enforcement of such rules in court. The document has been the subject of much controversy, including an open letter by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
But the idea the CSC doesn’t allow for any guardrails is simply not true.
The agreement does allow for an appeals process though third-party arbitration instead of a court room, and student-athletes can directly challenge NIL-related decisions inside 14 day of a decision.
While the Big 12 has signed the document, its legitimacy remains in flux as it remains part of a legal quagmire until its officially adopted by all 68 Power Four institutions, according to NIL Revolution. Outside of the Big 12, multiple SEC and ACC schools have shouted in favor of the agreement while others remain hesitant.
THE BASICS
• The agreement empowers the CSC with enforcement of its compliance measures, including auditing, fines, revenue withholding and even postseason bans.
• Schools waive their rights to contest CSC decisions legally, and must undergo a private resolution process.
• The Big 12 signing this agreement pushes it closer to becoming an active pillar in college athletics.
WHY THE BIG 12 SIGNING MATTERS
The Big 12 becomes the first Power Four league to net signatures from each of its member schools, and that may go a long way in steering the ACC, Big Ten and even the SEC closer to a consensus.
One timely process to consider, though, are the numerous amendments and clauses schools will inevitably propose throughout continued negotiations. State-level pushback, too, may delay the matter further, as schools with strong ties to their local government – whether through alumni, backers, etc. – could freeze up talks before pen hits paper.
It took nearly a year, but the CSC has one full Power Four conference on board.
