“The NCAA is asking for way too much.”

‘Cause that’s the way Mark Emmert rolls, bitch.

NCAA president Mark Emmert on Wednesday will plea to U.S. senators to grant his governing body antitrust protection from lawsuits that he claims “threaten” and “interfere” with the NCAA’s ability to modernize its rules.

Sports Illustrated obtained a copy of the 1,900-word, four-page prepared testimony that Emmert plans to give as a witness before a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee, scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday. From the college athletics world, Emmert will join Clemson athletic director Dan Radakovich and Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke as witnesses in the third such hearing on Capitol Hill regarding the raging debate over name, image and likeness (NIL). While the Senate Commerce Committee held the first two hearings, in February and June, the Judiciary Committee has used the NCAA’s antitrust request as a way to have a hearing of its own. The topic—antitrust protection—is expected to be at the center of the affair. Wednesday’s hearing will be split into two parts—the first on NIL and second on sports gambling.

Along with his requests for an antitrust exemption, Emmert will implore Congress, in maybe the most compelling way yet, to create a federal bill to govern athlete compensation. He seeks a universal standard to preempt what originally spurred his organization’s NIL action—dozens of states creating differing NIL laws. “I urge Congress to enact legislation that will provide for a uniform name, image and likeness approach that will result in fair and uniform competition for all student-athletes and protect and ensure opportunities for future student-athletes,” Emmert’s testimony says.

“Do it for the kids” is mere reflex, though.  Here’s where his head is really at:

The testimony, though, is centered on having Congress protect the NCAA from antitrust lawsuits that have “consistently been used as a tool to undermine the Association’s collective efforts to modernize its rules,” Emmert will tell lawmakers. It is “untenable,” the testimony says, for NCAA rules to be subject to “repetitive antitrust lawsuits every time the NCAA makes a rule change.” The testimony portrays the need for such an exemption as dire and necessary in order to continue down a path in allowing athletes to profit from their NIL. “These legal and legislative impediments threaten the ability of the Association’s modernization efforts to be fully realized.”

The bovine excrement, she is thick with this one.  Never hurts to ask, though.  All they can do is laugh and tell you no.  And then rule against you in court.  Again.

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UPDATE:  Oy.

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