Sens.Josh Hawley of Missouri, Jim Banks of Indiana and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama are trying to close what they see as a loophole in the Protect College Sports Act.CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK SPORTS COVERAGEProtesters against transgender athletes competing in women's sports gathered outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Jan.
13, 2026, as two cases about transgender girls joining girls' and women's sports teams were heard inside the court.(Heather Diehl/Getty Images)As currently written, the bill would override certain state laws dealing with college athlete eligibility.
The senators are concerned that could include laws in Missouri, Indiana and other states that prohibit biological males from competing on women’s college teams.Their amendment would make clear that those state protections remain in effect.It specifically says the bill’s federal preemption provision would not apply to any state or local law that "prohibits biological men from playing in women’s sports.""Biological men should never be allowed in women’s sports or women’s locker rooms," Hawley said in a statement.
"We’ve got to make sure state laws protecting women stand."The Protect College Sports Act is primarily intended to establish national standards governing name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation, athlete eligibility and other major issues facing college athletics.However, critics warn that its broad protections for the NCAA and its eligibility rules could have unintended consequences for women’s sports.Hawley raised the issue publicly on Wednesday."I’ve reviewed the current draft of the Senate NIL bill, and I am very concerned it PREEMPTS Missouri’s law banning men in women’s sports," Hawley wrote on X.
"This is what @Riley_Gaines_ has been saying.Big, big problem."Sen.
Josh Hawley, R-Mo., speaks during a Senate hearing in the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., on Feb.10.
(Michael M.Santiago/Getty Images)Banks said he could not support l...