Letter from State of Illinois Division I Athletic Directors
September 18, 2026 | General
News
September 18, 2026
Dear Senators Duckworth and Durbin:
We are the directors of athletics for the 13 NCAA Division I institutions across the State of Illinois. Our universities include public and private institutions, large and small campuses, and athletics programs with different resources and conference affiliations. While our programs may differ in many respects, we share a common responsibility for the education, well-being, and athletic opportunities of the student-athletes under our charge. Accordingly, we approach policy decisions about intercollegiate athletics with the practical perspective that comes from working daily with student-athletes and administering sport programs that represent our respective universities.
On behalf of Illinois's Division I athletics programs, we write to convey our unanimous support for the Protect College Sports Act (PCSA). Our support for the PCSA is based on three principal themes of this legislation that we believe will directly and meaningfully benefit the student-athletes and institutions we are honored to serve:
- Nationwide governance and enforcement. The PCSA sets forth national standards regulating student-athlete compensation, eligibility, and head coach movement. Furthermore, the bill establishes clear parameters around student-athlete mobility by permitting one transfer with immediate eligibility, while generally requiring student-athletes who transfer a second time to sit out one academic year, subject to reasonable exceptions. The PCSA also proposes to preempt specified state laws and provide targeted antitrust protection to allow administrative enforcement of covered rules. These changes would stabilize the core framework governing college sports, giving student-athletes, coaches, and administrators greater clarity and predictability as they make decisions and prepare for competition, thereby enhancing the experience for all stakeholders, particularly student-athletes.
- Augmented student-athlete compensation and protection. The PCSA would permit institutions to invest up to an additional $27.5 million annually in retaining student-athletes, including meaningful additional spending capacity tied to investment in women's and Olympic sports. Combined with the revenue-sharing framework created through the House class action settlement, the bill would allow participating institutions to direct nearly $50 million annually toward direct student-athlete compensation. The bill also provides academic protections, extended coverage of qualifying athletics-related medical expenses, and greater student-athlete representation in athletics governance. Finally, the bill strengthens protections against agent exploitation by establishing registration and certification requirements and placing reasonable limits on the fees that agents may charge student-athletes. Altogether, these improvements would provide student-athletes with greater financial opportunity today while reinforcing the educational and health protections that help support them long after their playing careers end.
- Participation opportunities and conference structures. The PCSA establishes requirements for covered institutions to maintain aggregate participation and scholarship opportunities in non-revenue sports. It also institutes policies related to conference realignment and so-called "super league" formation. Further, it provides for voluntary media-rights pooling. The application of these provisions would appropriately differ across our institutions according to our respective resources and conference affiliations.
Accordingly, we respectfully request that you vote in favor of the PCSA. We welcome the opportunity to discuss the legislation further, answer any questions you or your staff may have, and provide whatever perspective may be helpful as you consider the implications of the PCSA for Illinois's Division I programs and student-athletes. Thank you, as always, for the opportunity to share our perspective.
Sincerely,
Dr. Chris Reynolds
Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics
Bradley University
Dr. Monique Carroll
Director of Intercollegiate Athletics
Chicago State University
DeWayne Peevy
Senior Vice President and Director of Athletics
DePaul University
Mark Wilson
Director of Athletics
Eastern Illinois University
Andrea Williams
Director of Intercollegiate Athletics
University of Illinois Chicago
Dr. Jeri Beggs
Director of Athletics
Illinois State University
Josh Whitman
Director of Athletics
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Steve Watson
Vice President and Director of Athletics
Loyola University Chicago
Sean Frazier
Vice President / Director of Athletics and Recreation
Northern Illinois University
Mark Jackson
Vice President for Athletics & Recreation
Northwestern University
Tim Leonard
Director of Athletics
Southern Illinois University
Andrew Gavin
Vice Chancellor / Director of Athletics
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Shelby Borchardt
Interim Director of Intercollegiate Athletics
Western Illinois University
