Rep. Burgess Owens Opposes College Athletes Becoming University Employees

Utah Rep. Burgess Owens on Thursday expressed opposition to student-athletes being classified as employees of universities. He also voiced support for stronger federal oversight of payments to college athletes amid the evolving name, image, and likeness (NIL) landscape.

Owens, a former University of Miami football player and NFL veteran, spoke at the University of Utah Hinckley Institute of Politics as part of the Sutherland Institute’s Congressional Series. He described college athletics as “a real foundation for our country” but warned that current NIL rules and the NCAA’s recent House Settlement could disrupt the culture of amateur sports.

“What I’m concerned about with this NIL stuff is: If we’re not careful, we’re going to produce a generation of very self-centered, narcissistic young men,” Owens said. “You put a million, two million dollars into some of these 18-year-olds every six months—they have no idea what character is about. They don’t understand team commitment.”

Owens argued that making athletes employees would invite labor unions, collective bargaining, and potential legal challenges. He is co-sponsoring the Protecting Student Athletes’ Economic Freedom Act of 2025, which would bar universities, conferences, or athletic associations from employing athletes based on varsity participation.

“We have to keep this sport as what it is: amateur,” Owens said, adding that employment could also encourage litigation, strikes, and even paying younger athletes in the future.

The congressman supports a Trump-era executive order aimed at setting guardrails on NIL deals. He also criticized new transfer rules and emphasized the importance of incentivizing athletes to remain at their schools for multiple years.

Lawmakers continue to explore solutions, including the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act, which would further regulate athlete payments.

University of Utah athletic director Mark Harlan noted that federal legislation may be needed to address issues like the transfer portal. “Graduation rates could decline, and we might end up back in the ’70s, when student-athletes weren’t graduating. That would be a shame,” he said.