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FILE - In this March 12, 2020, file photo, John Swofford, commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference, announces the cancellation of NCAA college basketball games at the ACC tournament in Greensboro, N.C. The Power Five conferences spent $350,000 on lobbying in the first three months of 2020, more than they had previously spent in any full year, as part of a coordinated effort to influence Congress on legislation affecting the ability of college athletes to earn endorsement money. “In this particular case, the (Power Five) conferences are working together on this so that there’s less confusion, not more, in terms of the messaging to congressional leaders that helps explain NIL (Names, Images and Likenesses) and what the concerns are, and how it might work,” Swofford told The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown, File)
AP Exclusive: Power Five spend big on lobbying Congress

By Ben Nuckols May. 19, 2020 11:52 AM EDT

FILE - In this March 26, 2020, file photo, Jason Hackedorn looks into Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Indians baseball team, in Cleveland. With the distinct possibility of pro sports resuming in empty venues, a recent poll suggests a majority of U.S. fans wouldn't feel safe attending games anyway without a coronavirus vaccine.(AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)
The Latest: McConnell wants baseball and football on field

By The Associated Press May. 01, 2020 01:51 PM EDT

FILE - In this is an April 25, 2018, file photo, NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis is viewed. College sports programs are already being cut and more are likely on the chopping block. The coronavirus pandemic has triggered fears of an economic meltdown on campuses around the country. The cancellation of the NCAA men's basketball tournament cost schools $375 million and more losses are expected, especially if football season is disrupted in the fall. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
Analysis: NCAA moves toward athlete compensation, but how?

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 30, 2020 06:12 AM EDT

FILE - In this April 25, 2018, file photo, the NCAA headquarters is shown in Indianapolis. The NCAA is moving closer to permitting Division I college athletes to earn money from endorsements and sponsorship deals they can strike on their own. Recommendations for changes to NCAA rules that would permit athletes to earn money for their names, images and likeness are being reviewed by college sports administrators this week before being sent to the association's Board of Governors. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
Skeptics loom as NCAA builds guardrails around compensation

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 29, 2020 06:25 PM EDT

FILE - In this April 25, 2018, file photo, the NCAA headquarters is shown in Indianapolis. The NCAA is moving closer to permitting Division I college athletes to earn money from endorsements and sponsorship deals they can strike on their own. Recommendations for changes to NCAA rules that would permit athletes to earn money for their names, images and likeness are being reviewed by college sports administrators this week before being sent to the association's Board of Governors. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
NCAA moves toward allowing athletes to be paid sponsors

Ralph D. Russo Apr. 23, 2020 03:52 PM EDT

The desk of Kansas state Rep. Mark Samsel, R-Wellsville, honors University of Kansas sports teams with a sign depicting the Jayhawk mascot, Tuesday, March 10, 2020, on his House chamber desk of the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. Kansas lawmakers are considering legislation to allow college athletes to hire agents and sign endorsement deals. (AP Photo/John Hanna)
Kansas measure would allow college athletes to cash in

By John Hanna Mar. 10, 2020 12:22 PM EDT

U.S. Senate candidate Tommy Tuberville makes a stop at Martin's Restaurant in Montgomery, Ala., on Monday, Feb. 13, 2020, to kick off a month-long bus campaign in the state. (Mickey Welsh/Montgomery Advertiser via AP)
Famed coach Tuberville runs for Senate seat as an outsider

By Kim Chandler Feb. 24, 2020 05:39 PM EST

National Collegiate Athletic Association President Mark Emmert testifies during a Senate Commerce subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020, on intercollegiate athlete compensation. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
NCAA's Emmert presses Senate for 'guardrails' on athlete pay

By Ben Nuckols Feb. 11, 2020 02:31 PM EST

FILE - In this Aug. 6, 2018, file photo, Luke Perry poses for a portrait during the 2018 Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour in Beverly Hills, Calif. A publicist for Perry says the "Riverdale" and "Beverly Hills, 90210" star has died. He was 52. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
Final goodbye: Recalling influential people who died in 2019

By Bernard Mcghee Dec. 23, 2019 10:13 AM EST

FILE - In this March 29, 2018, file photo, rapper Nipsey Hussle watches an NBA basketball game between the Golden State Warriors and the Milwaukee Bucks in Oakland, Calif. Hussle has been shot and killed outside his Los Angeles clothing store, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said March 31, 2019. He was 33. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
Final goodbye: Recalling influential people who died in 2019

By Bernard Mcghee Dec. 16, 2019 12:47 PM EST

Utah Sen. Mitt Romney speaks with athletic directors from Utah colleges during a meeting at the University of Utah Friday, Nov. 15, 2019, in Salt Lake City. Romney says he supports efforts to allow college athletes to profit from their name and image because he wants to help poor students who may never become professional athletes. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Romney backs paying college athletes to help poor players

By Brady Mccombs Nov. 15, 2019 07:40 PM EST

FILE - In this Wednesday April 24, 2019 file photo, Rep. Kionne McGhee, D-Miami, debates the felon voting rights bill during session in Tallahassee, Fla. Following California's lead, Florida lawmakers are tackling NCAA rules that prohibit college athletes from reaping financial benefits from their prowess in the arena of big-money sports. A proposal by state House Democratic Leader Kionne McGhee is modeled after one signed into law last month by California Gov. Gavin Newsom that allows college athletes in the Golden State to sign endorsement deals and hire agents without endangering scholarships and their eligibility to participate in NCAA-sanctioned sports. (AP Photo/Steve Cannon, File)
Florida considers allowing college athletes to earn money

By Bobby Caina Calvan Oct. 24, 2019 03:06 PM EDT

FILE - In this March 14, 2012, file photo, a player runs across the NCAA logo during practice at the NCAA tournament college basketball in Pittsburgh. The NCAA is on its heels again, playing defense of its archaic amateurism rules after missing an opportunity to get out in front of an issue. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)
Analysis: Lacking foresight, NCAA playing defense again

By Ralph D. Russo Oct. 07, 2019 02:29 PM EDT

Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal points to fans as he walks off the field after an NCAA college football game against Stanford, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
Around the Pac-12: Coaches cautious about California law

By Anne M. Peterson Oct. 01, 2019 07:20 PM EDT

FILE - In this March 21, 2013, file photo, an athlete jumps near the NCAA logo during practice for a second-round game of the NCAA college basketball tournament in Austin, Texas. Defying the NCAA, California's governor signed a first-in-the-nation law Monday, Sept. 30, that will let college athletes hire agents and make money from endorsements — a move that could upend amateur sports in the U.S. and trigger a legal challenge. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
Can NCAA remain step ahead of latest threat to amateurism?

By Ralph D. Russo Sep. 30, 2019 05:45 PM EDT

Fans line up at a concession stand that sells beer during an NCAA college football game between North Carolina State and East Carolina at Carter Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Aug 31, 2019. There's a growing trend at Atlantic Coast Conference football games: alcohol sales to the general public. Now everyone can enjoy their beverage of choice at most ACC stadiums, not just boosters and donors. (Bryan Cereijo/The News & Observer via AP)
Beer, wine, spiked cider becoming popular at ACC stadiums

By Hank Kurz Jr. Sep. 25, 2019 03:03 PM EDT

Lawmaker wants donors to pay for UConn's exit from AAC

By Pat Eaton-Robb Aug. 01, 2019 03:30 PM EDT
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — The top Republican in the Connecticut Senate wants private donors to pick up the cost of UConn's departure from the American Athletic...

FILE - In this April 4, 2019, file photo, NCAA President Mark Emmert answers questions at a news conference at the Final Four college basketball tournament in Minneapolis. College athletes are continuing to function at high levels in the classroom but their Academic Progress Rate scores appear to be hitting a peak. The most recent statistics, released Wednesday, May 8, 2019, show this year’s overall four-year score matched last year’s record-high of 983 and that the four-year scores in football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball also matched last year’s marks. Baseball improved by one point to 976 while single-year scores at Historically Black Colleges declined slightly. “We are seeing some flattening of rates, which is not unusual given the large amount of data over a long period of time,” Emmert said in a statement. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)
NCAA to consider allowing athletes to profit from names

By Ralph D. Russo May. 14, 2019 05:33 PM EDT

Ex-Auburn football coach Tuberville to run for Ala. Senate

By Zeke Miller Apr. 06, 2019 01:37 PM EDT
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville is joining the Republican race to win back the Senate seat from Democrat Doug Jones in 2020...

Ethics board ends appeal of UConn nepotism ruling for Edsall

Mar. 26, 2019 01:23 PM EDT
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut's ethics board has withdrawn its appeal of a court decision that allowed UConn football coach Randy Edsall to keep his son as an...