Rep Hakeem Jeffries questions SCORE Act motives, likens halted vote to Lane Kiffin’s LSU move amid NIL debate

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries talks about the SCORE Act amid LSU's hire of Lane Kiffin. 

The proposed SCORE Act promises to provide the NCAA with a limited antitrust exemption in hopes of protecting the organization that regulates student athletics from potential lawsuits over eligibility rules, and it would prohibit athletes from becoming employees of their schools.

Shortly before it was set to be brought to the floor on Wednesday, House leadership canceled a vote on the SCORE Act. The decision came amid concerns about whether Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., had secured the required votes for passage.

Following the delay, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., voiced his concerns about the chaotic events leading up to what ultimately became a failed effort to move the bill forward. 

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U.S. House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) during a news conference at the US Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"The question that a lot of people are asking this week related to the SCORE Act legislation is who exactly directed Mike Johnson and Steve Scalise to bring this bill to the floor this week? Was it the big donors connected to LSU? That legislation would not have benefited college athletes. It would hurt college athletes, take away the antitrust exemption. It would preempt the ability of states to actually pass legislation that promotes the health, the safety and the well-being of their own college students." 

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Jeffries continued: "It would take away legal rights to seek redress the organized labor unions across the