More than 20 conservative organizations expressed support for the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act, according to a letter addressed to House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., obtained by Fox News Digital.

The SCORE Act would give the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption in hopes of protecting the NCAA from potential lawsuits over eligibility rules and would prohibit athletes from becoming employees of their schools.

“The SCORE Act is the free market, individual liberty, limited government fix to the “name, image, and likeness (NIL)” issue in college athletics,” the letter read.

“In 2021, the NCAA v. Alston case before the Supreme Court resulted in schools gaining freedom to offer additional education-related benefits to students, which set the stage for an expansion of NIL rights. In the years since, a patchwork of confusing state laws have been enacted, which cry out for a federal solution to create unified NIL rules that are consistent for everyone.”

The groups in favor of the SCORE Act said the bill is the “common-sense way” to establish rules and preempt confusing state laws in the NIL era.

“H.R. 4312 prohibits trial lawyers from suing under federal or state antitrust law. It also provides that athletes receiving NIL compensation need not be employees of these universities, protecting them from compulsory unionization. This means student-athletes can be treated as small business owners, not unionized workers,” the letter added.

The conservative groups framed the SCORE Act as being a better plan than the “Student Athlete Fairness and Enforcement (SAFE) Act,” which has mostly been backed by Democrats. The SCORE Act has at least scored some bipartisanship support in the House.

The SAFE Act proposes to rewrite the 1961 Sports Broadcasting Act to allow conferences to pool media rights. Supporters say it could inject billions into college sports.

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“The Left’s proposed framework to regulate NIL would be a disaster. Known as the “SAFE Act,” it would open the door for trial lawyers to frivolously sue athletic departments and conferences,” the conservative groups said. “It could also require student-athletes to be classified as employees, forcing many of them into unions, using merely the predicate of NIL compensation.

“Bizarrely, the SAFE Act would also create a socialized college sports media contract, imposing a national government board to negotiate for all colleges. Washington bureaucrats should not be in the business of negotiating sports television and streaming rights.”

Leaders from the Center for a Free Economy, 60 Plus Association, Constitutional Rights PAC, Parkview Institute, DL Maradona Foundation, US Policy, Southeast Texans for Liberty, National Taxpayers Union, Family Business Coalition, Frontiers of Freedom, Tradition, Family, Property, Founding Principles Coalition, America First PACT, American Commitment, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Southwest Public Policy Center, Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, Hispanic Leadership Fund, Inventor’s Project, Gator PAC and Committee to Unleash Prosperity.

“Thirty-one Division I athletic conferences with wide-ranging membership, from schools with small budgets to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), have publicly endorsed the SCORE Act as the solution to protecting opportunities for student-athletes. The path forward is clear. We urge you to support the SCORE Act and oppose the Big Government SAFE Act,” the letter read.

The SCORE Act calls on schools to share revenue, per terms of the House settlement to the tune of 22% “if such rules provide that such pool limit is AT LEAST 22 percent of the average annual college sports revenue of the 70 highest-earning schools.”

The SCORE Act prohibits schools from using student fees to fund NIL payments.

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The bill was introduced back in July and received support from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Luka Doncic sat at the table for his postgame news conference and turned the box score over in disgust.

There was nothing the Lakers superstar wanted to see there.

The Lakers’ seven-game winning streak came to a crashing halt with a 125-108 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Monday at Crypto.com Arena.

While Doncic continued his scoring surge with 38 points and 11 rebounds, the loss laid bare the Lakers’ biggest problems. Doncic turned the ball over nine times while the Lakers (15-5) had 22 turnovers that led to 32 points for the Suns (13-9). Their middle-of-the-road defense had no answer for Phoenix’s dizzying offense that shot 57% from the field. LeBron James, who sat out Sunday to manage a left foot injury at the start of the Lakers’ home back-to-back, faded into the background most of the night.

The NBA’s all-time leading scorer didn’t exert any force on the game until the fourth quarter as the possibility of his 18-year streak of games with 10 or more points looked to be in danger. Entering the fourth quarter with just six points, James hit a step-back fadeaway jumper with 6:51 to go that pushed him to 10 points for the 1,297th consecutive game.

It was the only moment of consequence in a second half that the Lakers had long let get out of control.

“It’s like the Monstars taking over the people that you’ve grown to coach,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “And they’re not doing anything that they normally do. It’s weird.”

A puzzled Redick credited possible “brain fog” caused by three games in four days. The team that had at least played hard enough to compete in 17 of 19 games by Reddick’s estimation was letting opponents run by in transition. The Lakers suddenly forgot basic defensive assignments such as going over screens against Phoenix’s best three-point shooters.

Then they got burned by Collin Gillespie, who buried four three-pointers in the fourth quarter and finished with 28 points and eight made threes. Dillon Brooks had 33 to lead the Suns, who had little trouble scoring despite losing star guard Devin Booker.

“The basketball gods reward you, and they also punish you,” Redick said. “And so in the moments when we had a chance to be rewarded, we didn’t do what we were supposed to do, and we got punished.”

Lakers guard Austin Reeves shoots over Suns center Mark Williams during the Lakers’ loss Monday night.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Booker left the game with 2:05 remaining in the first quarter and didn’t return because of a right groin injury. The Suns still dictated the pace and built a 14-point halftime lead by finishing the second quarter on a 19-4 run. Brooks had 23 points in the first half.

Doncic scored 20 points in the first quarter for the second consecutive game, but unlike when he dominated the struggling New Orleans Pelicans, Doncic’s scoring was not enough Monday. Instead of blitzing Doncic with extra defenders the way most teams have done, the Suns almost invited the star guard to score. Suns center Mark Williams, with his 9-foot-9 standing reach, was enough to stymie Doncic in the paint.

Doncic, who took blame for the offensive struggles and turnovers, called the coverage “confusing.”

“We didn’t play hard enough,” said guard Austin Reaves, who had 16 points and three assists to five turnovers. “You know that, and you don’t let it affect you going forward. But you remember, just what the feel[ing is], what the energy was like. And you do the opposite of that.”

The Suns, the league leaders in steals, forced 12 Lakers turnovers in the first half, which led to 17 points for Phoenix. The Suns outscored the Lakers 16-0 in fast-break points.

Lakers guard Marcus Smart missed a third consecutive game, leaving the Lakers without a stalwart defender and vocal leader. He was previously sidelined because of back spasms, but the Lakers designated Monday’s absence as back injury management. Redick doesn’t believe the absence will be long-term as Smart underwent imaging that was “unremarkable,” Redick said, outside of looking “like a normal 11-year NBA veteran,” the coach added with a smile.

Dodgers World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto sits courtside during Monday’s game between the Lakers and Phoenix Suns.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The Lakers could use Smart’s toughness as they proceed toward a difficult three-game East Coast trip that begins Thursday in Toronto. They play three games in four days, including in Boston on Friday and in Philadelphia on Sunday. All three teams are above .500, while the Lakers are 4-4 against such teams.

“We had our little setback and a little shot to the chin,” said center Deandre Ayton, who had 12 points and nine rebounds, “but it’s not going to knock us down.”

The Thanksgiving weekend was a “special” one for Tom Brady, as the NFL quarterback legend got sentimental with a lengthy social media post showcasing days filled with nostalgia, family and more.

Brady performed his Thanksgiving Day duties for Fox Sports, calling the Detroit Lions-Green Bay Packers game alongside play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt, but he also enjoyed some college festivities after a trip to his alma matter, the University of Michigan, for “The Game” against Ohio State and more.

Brady posted a carousel of pictures to his Instagram, featuring his children — Jack, 18, Benjamin, 15 and Vivian, 12 — as well as his parents, Galynn Patricia and Tom Sr., and niece Hannah Brady, who plays Division I volleyball for the Wolverines.

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“What a special thanksgiving weekend with the people I love most,” the 48-year-old future Pro Football Hall of Fame captioned the carousel. “Laughing, playing, eating too much…and enjoying our family and football and tradition in the state of Michigan.”

Brady’s first picture on the carousel was him and his daughter, Vivian, smiling on the Big House turf in Ann Arbor. Brady and company would’ve certainly liked a different result during the game, though, as the Buckeyes finally snapped their losing stream against their most heated rival to remain the top team in the country.

The second picture was also a family affair, this time on the volleyball court at the university.

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“I am so blessed to work with the best team at [Fox Sports] delivering a great game between the Lions and the Packers,” Brady wrote. “Working with Kevin Burkhardt and Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi and our entire crew made last Thursday so much fun. And then to travel shortly down the road to Ann Arbor to watch the most athletic Brady family member to ever play at Michigan, my niece who plays for the Wolverines Volleyball team, and spend time with all of my extended family made this one of the best Thanksgivings ever.”

Brady famously worked his way through the Wolverines’ football quarterback depth chart, beginning in 1995 as a freshman out of Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, California.

He got sentimental about his time back in Ann Arbor, which he says he always cherishes.

“It’s always such a special experience being on the Michigan campus, especially now that I don’t have to take finals anymore!” Brady joked. “We got to go to the big house to see Michigan football take on a great Ohio State team [angry emoji] And to see so many former teammates and friends meant the world to me. I’m so appreciate and grateful for all the incredible memories and relationships that have been created since I started at Michigan in 1995.”

But the trip to Ann Arbor wasn’t just about Brady reminiscing — he enjoyed every second that his family got to spend with him there as well, especially his children.

“To share that experience and all those memories with my kids was a dream come true. The game didn’t quite turn out the way we hoped (I still maintain it was a touchback!)” Brady wrote, referencing a controversial Ohio State touchdown by Jeremiah Smith in the Michigan loss. “But the sun always comes up the next day, and to realize that it was one of the best weekends of my life Surrounded by the love of my parents means the world to me. I look forward to coming back soon and to finishing the NFL season strong and creating more unforgettable memories with this crew.

“Sending my love to you all and gratitude and I hope you all had an incredible Thanksgiving as well. Even the people in Columbus [winking emoji].”

As the carousel of pictures continued, Brady was spotted walking out of the tunnel and onto the field at the Big House before the Michigan-Ohio State game with his daughter. He was also pictured with his two sons in the tunnel, sharing a flick on the volleyball court with his niece, and even having a catch inside a practice facility for the Wolverines football team with Jack.

It was a family affair both in Detroit and Ann Arbor, and it’s certainly one that Brady and the rest of his family won’t forget.

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