Shane Beamer calls his Capitol Hill testimony on NIL hearing “terrifying”

Shane Beamer recently found himself in an entirely new environment—Washington, D.C.—but don’t expect him to be running for office anytime soon.

On March 4, Beamer, the head football coach at South Carolina, testified before the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade during a hearing focused on NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) and the future of college sports. While Beamer has faced many high-pressure situations in his career, including big games on the football field, nothing quite compared to speaking before Congress.

“Honestly, it was terrifying,” Beamer admitted. “I can sit in here with you guys, and that can be nerve-wracking at times, but when you’re sitting there on national television — C-SPAN, or the internet, or whatever it was on that day, I don’t know. But you’ve got all these people from the Republican side, Democratic side, and they’re sitting there staring at you, it’s different as well.”

Alongside Beamer, Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman, Duke track athlete Emily Cole, Abilene Christian’s Anthony Egbo, and former Clemson offensive lineman and College Football Players Association VP Justin Falcinelli also shared their perspectives.

Ahead of the hearing, Beamer submitted a testimony highlighting the need for changes in college athletics, which he described as “unsustainable.” He emphasized the importance of protecting the “college student-athlete experience” and advocated for a “national, bipartisan federal law” to create equal opportunities for athletes to benefit from NIL, ensuring all institutions follow the same rules.

While the experience was a departure from his usual routine, Beamer found it to be both exciting and fulfilling. He shared that “the SEC and Congressman Russell Fry, the U.S. representative for South Carolina’s 7th congressional district, reached out to see if I wanted to participate in the discussion,” an opportunity he was honored to accept.

“It was neat to be a part of and a pretty cool experience,” Beamer reflected. “I’m a history buff, so to be able to be up there, and it’s the third time I’ve gone up there and met with people, but it’s the first time I’ve ever been on television testifying.”

Beamer has been a long-time advocate for changes that better support student-athletes, particularly in the realm of NIL. He felt it was crucial to take part in the discussion and represent those who may not have a voice in the debate.

“Somebody thought that my opinion or my viewpoints on things were important to hear. I certainly didn’t take that responsibility lightly and prepared hard to go up there, and hope I did a decent job of representing,” Beamer said. “My biggest fear was walking out of there and creating national headlines with something I said. And I don’t think I did, but it was neat to be a part of.”

As he heads into his fifth season with the Gamecocks, Beamer revealed he’ll be returning to Washington in April, but he’s not planning to testify again. “Thank God,” he joked. “I think Senator (Tommy) Tuberville and some of the other coaches that are up there that are now in DC, they’ve got it handled here for a while. I enjoy politics. I enjoy following it and keeping up with it, but I think I’ll stick to coaching football for the time being, for a long time.”