While the focus has been on teams in conferences, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish played a significant role in shaping the recently passed Protect College Sports Act (PCSA). In fact, athletic director Pete Bevacqua worked closely with several key authors of the bill to ensure that the denizens of South Bend were well protected.
- On Monday night, the bill officially passed in its final form in what would be called a blowout in sports terms, by a 77-22 margin. However, there's still a question of whether and when it will pass the House of Representatives.
- The bill would grant the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption in order to restore its five-year eligibility rule and transfer limits. The legislation would also codify the regulation of name, image, and likeness deals that have transformed college athletics in recent years by allowing athletes to be paid — some of them as much as millions of dollars per season.
- Opponents of the bill — from labor groups to athletes organizations to the NAACP, along with the 22 senators who voted against it — say it unfairly places limits on athletes without allowing them an equal seat at the table alongside powerful institutions.
- NCAA president Charlie Baker issued a statement after the bill passed, thanking those who advocated for it: "Now the bill moves to the U.S. House of Representatives, and there is much work left to do to ensure student-athlete benefits are codified into federal law and future generations of young people can access those benefits and use college sports as the launching point for their careers."
More Notre Dame Fighting Irish news
- The Notre Dame family is mourning the passing of former team captain Timothy J. Scannell. The offensive guard played at Notre Dame from 1981 through the 1985 season, concluding his playing career as a senior team captain.
- After his college career was over, Scannell briefly tried the NFL but quickly returned to Notre Dame for a graduate degree and to serve as a Graduate Assistant under head coach Lou Holtz in 1987 and the national championship team in 1988.
- Scannell went on to serve in the U.S. Secret Service and had a highly successful 32-year career as an executive at the medical technology company Stryker, eventually becoming its President and COO. He recently passed away on September 26, 2026, after a battle with brain cancer.
- Transfer wide receiver Quincy Porter has battled a leg injury since first transferring to Notre Dame, but on Monday, head coach Marcus Freeman announced that Porter will undergo another surgery and is out for the rest of the year.
- On Sunday night, Kyren Williams did his best to lead the Los Angeles Rams to a victory, but in the end, the former Notre Dame Fighting Irish star's team couldn't overcome the Denver Broncos and eventually lost 30-26.
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