Paxton Warns About College Sports Commission Power Grab

November 26, 2025 – Attorney General Ken Paxton is escalating his fight with the College Sports Commission (CSC), sending formal letters to Texas universities — and to attorneys general across the country — urging them to reject what he calls an “unlawful” and “dangerous” agreement that would reshape control over college athletics.

Paxton’s warning targets the CSC’s proposed University Participation Agreement, a document that would govern member schools across major athletic conferences, including the ACC, Big 12, SEC, and Big Ten. The CSC, a newly formed national governing body created in response to ongoing legal battles around NIL compensation and athlete employment status, is seeking broad authority over compliance, finances, and future policy decisions.

Paxton argues the agreement would give the CSC “practically limitless power” while stripping universities of autonomy. Among the most controversial provisions, the agreement would penalize any school that cooperates with its own state attorney general in legal challenges against the CSC — even making universities ineligible for postseason play if they provide information, documents, or testimony in such cases.

The Attorney General also warns that the agreement allows the CSC to impose arbitrary fines, sanctions, and new policies without meaningful oversight or an appeals process. He says the arrangement could expose universities to significant legal risk and may violate the Texas Constitution, potentially making it illegal for state-funded schools to sign.

In letters sent to universities in Texas and to AGs nationwide, Paxton urged officials to intervene and advise schools in their states to reject the agreement. His office argues that the CSC is attempting to shield itself from lawsuits while consolidating unprecedented control over college sports governance.

Paxton framed the issue as a matter of protecting both taxpayer-funded institutions and the integrity of college athletics.

“This power grab by the CSC must be stopped,” he wrote. “No entity should be allowed to give itself this level of immunity at the expense of our universities.”

The dispute sets up a growing national showdown over who should govern the rapidly changing landscape of college sports.