Paxton Blocks College Sports Commission Pact for Texas Campuses

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has instructed seven public and private universities in the state not to sign the College Sports Commission (CSC) participation agreement, citing what he called “wide-ranging implications” for Texas institutions, reported Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. 

On November 25, he sent a letter to Texas Tech, the University of Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor University, the University of Houston, Southern Methodist University, and Texas Christian University.

“As the chief legal officer for the State of Texas, whose duties include providing advice, counsel, and legal representation to Texas public universities, I am particularly interested and gravely concerned by the wide-ranging implications entering into such an agreement portends for our state and its institutions,” the letter reads. “Accordingly, I urge all Texas universities, whether public or private, to decline signing the Agreement for the reasons set forth below.”

The 11-page agreement would commit universities in the SEC, ACC, and Big 12 to terms connected to the House v. NCAA settlement and to the enforcement power of the CSC. Under the proposal, participating schools would waive their rights to challenge CSC sanctions or rule changes in court.

Paxton outlined several objections, including provisions that:

• Allow the CSC “sole discretion to impose fines, penalties, and sanctions” with almost no opportunity for appeal.
• Permit penalties for encouraging or cooperating with legal actions brought by student-athletes, representatives, or state officials.
• Require participants to accept future, as-yet-unwritten policies that could carry financial or disciplinary consequences.
• Restrict participants from supporting or lobbying for federal, state, or local law changes that would alter agreement obligations.
• Mandate compliance clauses in employment contracts and require top athletics personnel to annually certify full adherence to CSC rules.
• Require third-party partners to cooperate with CSC investigations and allow suspension of officials who do not comply.
• Potentially limit a participant’s compliance with state law.

Texas Tech University System Regent Cody Campbell posted on X letter that the university would not sign the agreement, saying the proposed rules conflict with state law and Texas Tech bylaws. 

Texas Tech University “will not sign the current form of the agreement, as indicated in the advisory letter.” And he added, “we will eagerly and fully engage in conversation aimed at finding a legal and workable solution, and I will personally commit to facilitating such discussions.”

With Paxton advising Texas institutions against signing and at least one major regent publicly opposing the agreement, it remains unclear how Texas universities will navigate the CSC framework as national athletic conferences move toward standardized revenue-sharing and NIL oversight.