ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — A lawmaker sponsoring a key piece of federal college sports legislation said he believes the bill likely has the support it needs to make it through the upper chamber.
“We probably have 60 votes,” Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., said Friday at the Associated Press Sports Editors meeting.
Schmitt called the next two weeks critical for the Protect College Sports Act.
He said leaders from the Southeastern and Big Ten Conferences, both of which oppose the bill as it is written, have met with the top sponsors — Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. — to negotiate changes in the bill in an effort to gather their support.
Without the bill, Schmitt said "the trajectory of this in three years will be even further unrecognizable,” predicting a scenario in which women’s sports teams fold under financial strain.
College sports has been struggling to find a fair way to pay players for their name, image and likeness since payments to players were approved by a federal court last summer.
The legislation introduced by Cruz and Cantwell offers the NCAA and conferences limited liability protection and moves to preempt the patchwork of state laws that govern NIL payments. It also opens the option for conferences to pool their media rights — a move proponents say could generate extra billions but that the SEC and Big Ten do not support.
In a letter to school presidents last month, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey outlined worries that the bill could create more problems than it solves. Sankey suggested rewriting a section of the bill that allows athletes to file civil lawsuits in certain cases, saying as it was written it could create more litigation instead of reducing it.
Even if the bill passes the Senate, it would face an unlikely run through the narrowly divided House, where both Democrats and Republicans have found a number of flaws with another bill — the SCORE Act — that never came to a floor vote.
AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
NEW YORK (AP) — A 40-year-old New York man faces hate crime charges following a confrontation with “Today" show host Craig Melvin at NBC's studio in Manhattan.
The man was arrested Thursday morning inside 30 Rockefeller Center in Midtown by an officer responding to reports of a disorderly individual inside the building, police said Friday.
NBC News says in a statement that an individual approached Melvin after entering an unauthorized area in a vestibule near Studio 1A. Melvin notified security, who held the man until police arrived, according to NBC.
No altercation occurred and no injuries were reported. NBC did not say how the man gained access to the area.
“We are reviewing the incident and our security protocols and remain committed to providing a safe and secure environment for everyone who works at and visits our studios,” the network said in a statement.
The man has been charged with burglary, menacing and criminal trespass as hate crimes, as well as harassment. It was not clear Friday if has appeared in court or if he has an attorney.
Police did not say what led to the hate crime enhancements on the charges. Police records show a court date has been scheduled for Wednesday.
Melvin, who is Black, discussed the incident on-air Friday morning.
“Unfortunately, an intruder made his way into an unauthorized area here at Studio 1A,” Melvin said. “Thankfully, he was apprehended quickly. He was placed under arrest. We are just very happy that everyone is safe.”
Melvin also posted about the incident on Instagram.
“Hey everyone. I’ve heard from so many of you over the last few hours,” he wrote on Thursday. “I’m doing just fine. Thanks for reaching out."
Longtime “Today" show meteorologist Al Roker also took to social media to thank everyone reaching out to check on Melvin.
“We are both okay,” Roker posted on Instagram. “It’s moments like these that serve to pull us together. You all, like Craig, said ‘You come after one of us, you come after all of us.’”
Melvin and Roker are among a relatively small group of prominent Black journalists and anchors with regular, highly visible roles on national broadcast network news programs.
Melvin joined NBC and MSNBC in 2011, according to the “Today” show’s website. He replaced Hoda Kotb in 2025 as co-host of the 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. hours of “Today.” He had been hosting the show’s third hour while serving as the news anchor during the first two hours.
Roker also is a feature anchor on “Today” and co-host of the show’s third hour. He joined the show in 1996. Roker also co-hosted the “Wake Up with Al” morning show on the Weather Channel from 2009 to 2015.
This combo image shows Al Roker, left, and Craig Melvin attending the 31st Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame Awards gala at the Ziegfeld Ballroom on May 3, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/CJ Rivera, File)
