WASHINGTON, D.C. — Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey sent a letter to conference leaders on June 4, 2026, outlining approximately two dozen proposed revisions to the Protect College Sports Act. The communication was part of a coordinated effort with the Big Ten to advocate for targeted changes to the bill.

On the same day, Sankey and Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti held a videoconference with Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas and one of the bill's sponsors, to discuss the legislation. The bill, which is 111 pages long, was introduced on May 27, 2026. Maria Cantwell, a Democratic senator from Washington, also co-sponsored the bill.

Sankey's letter to SEC presidents and chancellors detailed specific sections that he stated required revisions. He wrote that as drafted, the provisions were likely to increase litigation rather than reduce it. He also indicated that while neither the SEC nor the Big Ten supported the bill as initially written, they believed it could provide stability in college athletics with targeted revisions. Many of the suggested changes focused on limiting protection against lawsuits and preempting state laws.

Sankey called for the bill to explicitly protect schools and conferences from litigation when they comply with the law. He also addressed the relationship between the bill and a previous legal settlement concerning athlete compensation. Sankey stated, "The House settlement framework may not be perfect, but the settlement and the bill must work together — not against each other."

Regarding potential changes to the Sports Broadcasting Act, the bill included a proposal allowing conferences to pool media rights. Sankey stated, "If the intent is for the current SBA provisions to be fully voluntary, additional language is needed to ensure this voluntary decision-making process is protected and not circumvented through creative legal strategies." He described a scenario where other conferences could pool postseason media rights to create a new football postseason. He also wrote that the bill should mandate the disclosure of name, image, and likeness deals to a national entity like the College Sports Commission, in addition to campus administrators.

No independent assessment of Greg Sankey’s claims was available.