Republican Senator Eric Schmitt has publicly defended the Protect College Sports Act (PCSA), pushing back against fellow Republican Senator Josh Hawley's claims that the bipartisan bill undermines Title IX protections. The exchange took place during an appearance on Dan Dakich's "Don't @ Me" show, as the two senators clash over how to regulate name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation in college athletics. The disagreement highlights ongoing tension among Republicans over how to balance NIL reform with protections for women's college sports.

The PCSA aims to create a national framework to stabilise the NCAA's NIL landscape amid growing calls for federal oversight, and while it has support from both sides of the aisle, critics including Hawley argue it contains loopholes that could weaken Title IX safeguards. Schmitt used the Dakich interview to argue that Title IX protections remain intact under the bill. The legislation has already faced turbulence in the Senate, having stalled in an overnight vote that was pushed back to September, with President Trump publicly backing its passage.