Vols Basketball Players Unveil Model Contract

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Members of the Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball roster have put on paper what a union-style deal between college athletes and their school might look like, the first such term sheet released anywhere in college sports.

The proposal, published Tuesday with the players group Athletes.org, is not a binding contract. Three player representatives elected by the team worked out the terms with the Tennessee athletics department over August and September, and both sides finished on Oct. 1. The school has not ratified it, and Athletes.org said the legal structure needed to enforce it does not yet exist.

Its core idea is one agreement in place of today’s mix of revenue sharing and school-tied NIL deals. Players would be paid under an athletic services contract, with a negotiated salary cap, a required spending floor and a guaranteed minimum for every roster spot. Bonus pools would reward postseason runs, performance and experience.

A player who gets hurt would still collect every dollar of guaranteed money. Health coverage would continue once his college career is over, and a career-ending catastrophic injury would bring lifetime care. A 15-day transfer window would open once the national title game is over. Schools found cheating the cap could forfeit as much as their full conference payout, and coaches could be fined, suspended or banned. Agent fees would be capped at 5%.

Athletics director Danny White, an outspoken supporter of collective bargaining, said in a school statement that the model has worked across professional sports and could help build a stable future for college athletics.

The release lands as a rival plan races the clock in Washington. The Protect College Sports Act cleared the U.S. Senate 77-22 on Sept. 28 and would write federal rules for NIL rights, revenue sharing, athlete safety and agent fees. It needs House approval by Dec. 17, the last scheduled workday, or it must start over when the new Congress is seated Jan. 3.

Big legal hurdles remain for any bargaining deal at a public school. Tennessee appeals courts have struck down union contracts with local governments, and a 1979 attorney general opinion said a public employer cannot bargain without permission from the legislature. Athletes.org proposes getting around that by making the employer a privately run organization that spans several states and is paid for by the participating schools.

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