Tennessee basketball players release a model CBA with a salary cap, a spending floor and guaranteed pay

Tennessee's men's basketball players released a model collective bargaining term sheet on Tuesday. One option in it would require the school to spend at least 89% of an average salary cap over a four-year deal, ESPN reported. It is the first document of its kind from a college team, and it shows what a pay system bargained by players could look like.

The deal is not signed and does not change anything for Tennessee's players right now. Athletes.org says the university's administration has not agreed to or endorsed the terms.

What is in it

Three player representatives elected by the team, Tyler Lundblade, Campbell Duncan and DeWayne Brown II, worked out the terms with Athletes.org, the college players association, and took them to athletic director Danny White. The main pieces:

• One contract for playing. A single athletic services agreement would replace today's revenue-share and school-affiliated NIL deals, with pay starting at enrollment or the first team activity.
• A cap and a floor. The floor has two options, the 89% figure or a set percentage of the athletic department budget. No dollar amount for the cap was included.
• Guaranteed money. Every rostered player gets a minimum and full cost of attendance, with a freshman pay scale like a rookie wage scale. Players on injured reserve keep 100% of guaranteed pay.
• Portal and agent rules. A 15-day transfer window that opens at least a week after the national title game, and a 5% cap on agent fees for athletic services contracts.
• Health coverage after college. At least two years for athletics-related injuries, five years for veterans and lifetime coverage for catastrophic injuries.

Why it matters to fans and schools

Money in college basketball is already big. CBS Sports reported in October that Tennessee is one of 11 schools spending more than $20 million on its men's basketball roster this season. A bargained cap and floor would make that spending predictable and enforceable, with penalties for schools, coaches and players who get around the cap.

College athletes still cannot unionize because they are not considered employees, and White and Athletes.org executive director Brandon Copeland both told ESPN that a real CBA would have to cover a larger group of schools. Copeland put it this way to Front Office Sports: "It's a lot simpler of a process than trying to go to Congress." The Protect College Sports Act passed the Senate but still needs the House. Athletes.org said a football version for Tennessee will follow on a separate timeline.

The Volunteers are 2-0 and ranked No. 11.