Sens Marsha Blackburn, Maria Cantwell hustling to protect college athletes' finances in murky NIL world

Fox News chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reports on House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries questioning an NIL bill’s link to an LSU coaching controversy and more on ‘Special Report.’

EXCLUSIVE: Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., plan to go to bat for college athletes to help secure their futures by investing their name, image and likeness (NIL) earnings.

Blackburn and Cantwell introduced the Helping Undergraduate Students Thrive with Long-Term Earnings (HUSTLE) Act, according to a release obtained by Fox News Digital. The senators said college athletes would get the opportunity to put money into "tax-advantaged investment accounts for student athletes, require trustees to provide financial education, and establish regulations to prevent abuse."

The senators vowed that the HUSTLE Act would also help college athletes improve their financial literacy and better navigate the Wild West of NIL.

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Virginia offensive lineman Drake Metcalf (60) reacts in the first half of the Atlantic Coast Conference championship NCAA college football game against Duke, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

"College athletes are now earning billions of dollars from their name, image, and likeness—and rightly so. We must empower these students to safeguard their financial future and protect themselves against rogue agents," Blackburn said in a statement. "The HUSTLE Act would allow college athletes to invest their earnings in a tax-advantaged account that grows over time, strengthen financial education, and create safeguards to prevent exploitation by dishonest agents."

Cantwell hoped that college athletes would