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Sen. Chris Murphy is criticizing the bipartisan college sports deal rolled out by Commerce Committee leaders, the first sign of the challenges that the legislation may have in getting 60 votes.
The Connecticut Democrat told Semafor that his primary worry is the bill’s proposed compensation caps — which committee leaders say can float up. Murphy warned they could constrain college athletes’ wages: “It looks like the primary impact is to limit the compensation of these athletes while doing nothing about the compensation of coaches and sports industry CEOs who are making the big bucks.”
He described the bill as not “a good deal for athletes; it seems like a really good deal for the NCAA and for all the rich adults who are already making millions off of a corrupt model.”
The House has already struggled to pass its competing collegiate athletics measure.
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The collegiate athletics bill rolled out with support from Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Eric Schmitt of Missouri and Democrat Maria Cantwell of Washington. It would need 60 votes in the Senate to pass, likely all or most of the chamber’s 53 Republicans and seven or more of its Democrats.
The bill’s backers say the legislation would protect name, image and likeness earnings for players, keep in place the current revenue framework from the House settlement, and prevent athletes from predatory NIL and recruiting deals.
Murphy said he’s not sure yet whether the Senate’s bill could clear a filibuster, but he’s concerned that the bill delves so deeply into TV rights and compensation, as well as that it limits transfers and eligibility to curb roster turnover. He said he was surprised the legislation doesn’t loosen the rule that forces college football players to wait three years to play in the NFL after they graduate high school.
“At first blush, this does not look like a bill that’s good for athletes or the sport in general,” Murphy said. “This does not look like the product we need. … This bill certainly would need some major changes.”