The Senate Judiciary Committee convened on Tuesday to hold a hearing on Name, Image and Likeness rules affecting college athletes across the country.
However, the hearing derailed to several unrelated topics throughout the hearing.
One moment came when Ted Cruz, the Republican junior Senator, went off on a tangent about how he didn’t understand the controversial targeting rule in college football.
He said it makes him mad when his teams are penalized for targeting, according to Ross Dellenger, a college football reporter for Yahoo! Sports.
Targeting, according to the official rulebook, prohibits players from “going beyond making a legal tackle or a legal block or playing the ball.” The penalties can range from anything from a 15-yard penalty to ejection from the contest.
The football world was quick to react to Cruz not understanding the rule:
“Targeting is a good rule, and the penalty is appropriate given the danger of the conduct. Complaining about it is silly and tiresome!” one fan wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
“Our members of Congress are so unserious about everything,” wrote another fan.
“Ted Cruz not understanding how targeting works doesn’t surprise me in the least lol. Also wasn’t this meeting about NIL like 5 minutes ago,” wrote one fan.
“I’m going to need Ted to introduce a bill outlawing kicking an extra point down eight,” joked one fan.
“I’m sorry, this is what we’re doing in Congress? Really?”said another fan.
