Alabama AD Greg Byrne makes feelings known on newly formed College Sports Commission: "Heck of a lot better than where we were"

The constitution of the College Sports Commission went into overdrive after the approval of the historic House vs. NCAA settlement by California judge Claudia Wilken last Friday. The settlement mandates programs to share revenue of up to $20.5 million annually with their student-athletes, which necessitated the formation of the regulatory body.

Former MLB executive Bryan Seeley was appointed the body's first CEO. During Tuesday's segment of the McElory &Cubelic in the Morning show, Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne revealed his feelings at the formation of the College Sports Commission and its role in college sports.

“From listening to football coaches in the SEC, my peers at the other SEC institutions, there is a real desire to make this work,” Byrne said (6:30).

“And there is arbitration on things that we wouldn’t be able to arbitrate before, so that’ll give both sides an opportunity to be heard when there are challenges that arise. It’s not perfect, but it’s a heck of a lot better than where we were.”

---

College sports commission role explained by Alabama A.D

NCAA president Charlie Baker revealed last week that the body's enforcement powers were diminishing, leaving a vacuum, which the formation of the College Sports Commission has filled.

The CSC will oversee roster limits, revenue-sharing and third-party NIL deals and during Tuesday's segment of the McElory &Cubelic in the Morning show, Alabama Crimson Tide athletic director Greg Byrne broke down the role of the new regulatory body.

“The College Sports Commission is going to be overseeing that, and basically any NIL deal for a young man or young woman that’s over $600 is going to have to go through the (NIL Go) clearinghouse that Deloitte put together," Byrne said (4:20). “They have a formula that basically will say ‘yeah, this thing passes the smell test or no, this thing doesn’t.'

"The formula is not going to be released because everybody will try to figure out how to get around it if it’s released. So young men and young women that have legitimate opportunities for name, image and likeness deals will be able to submit those, and if they pass – and private donations ones are going to struggle on that side – but legitimate business opportunities will be ok."

The NCAA will still oversee the academic requirements of college sports, while the College Sports Commission will oversee the benefits aspect, including investigating violations and conducting arbitration between parties in case of disputes.