Cody Campbell discusses SCORE Act, scheduling Texas on Pat McAfee Show
Texas Tech Board of Regents Chairman Cody Campbell, was on the Pat McAfee Show on Friday and discussed the “Save College Sports Act,” that is soon to be put up for a vote in Washington D.C. Campbell also had a lot to say in response to Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, saying “if we had the schedule another team in our state does, we could go win that conference with our 2’s and 3’s.”
Cody Campbell has been one of the most prominent voices advocating for increased structure and oversight in the rapidly evolving landscape of college athletics. The Save College Sports Act is a bipartisan bill being spearheaded by Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Washington Senator Maria Cantwell. As part of the process, Cruz and Cantwell consulted with numerous experts across college sports, including Texas Tech Board of Regents Chairman Cody Campbell and former Alabama head coach Nick Saban.
Campbell’s Comments on SCORE Act
Earlier this week, it was announced that Senator Cruz and Cantwell agreed on the terms of the bill, so on Friday, Pat McAfee asked Campbell exactly what passing the bill would mean for college athletics.
“We are going to preserve the rights of players to be paid, but it also ensures that the rest of the system is able to survive. It makes sure there is enough money available for women’s sports and Olympic sports, which do not generate revenue. We all know football is the primary revenue-producing sport. We have to make sure there is enough of that income available to support everything else.”
Campbell continued, “We are also going to stop the chaos in the transfer portal and establish guidelines for player movement. You get one free transfer. If you graduate, you can transfer again, and if your coach leaves, you can transfer again. But if you transfer a second time outside of those circumstances, you will have to sit out for a year.”
“From an eligibility standpoint, we are not going to have players competing for seven, eight, or nine years anymore. It will be five years to play. To further protect the players, there is a significant focus on player health, safety, and welfare. There is also funding included for post-career support. We are also going to regulate agents, as some agents have been charging players as much as 25 percent.”
Campbell’s Comments on Steve Sarkisian and Texas
“It’s clear in Austin that, just like Bevo, there are quite a few steers and not very many bulls,” Campbell said. “Let me tell you something, when Sark opened his mouth and picked a fight with a bunch of West Texas boys, he should have known that he better get ready to pack a lunch.”
Campbell then doubled down on the challenge, stating that Texas Tech has already taken steps to make a matchup between the two programs possible.
“We already talked to Abilene Christian and Texas State, and they are down for it,” Campbell said. “We told them we would pay the buyout for Texas, and there is no reason for them not to do it, we are ready to go.”
Campbell concluded by reiterating his belief that Texas has avoided scheduling Texas Tech despite years of discussions between the two programs.
“We have been talking about playing for five years, and they will not play us,” Campbell said. “Again, I think there are more steers than bulls down in Austin.”
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