“We're not turning back the clock, and whether you loved or hated the old system, we shouldn't try. The problem is that college sports entered this new era without a stable framework to govern it.
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The Senate Votes 74-24 to Take Up the Cruz-Cantwell College Sports Bill — Cruz Calls It "a Bipartisan Solution Designed to Bring Order to the Chaos," While Chris Murphy Says "What This Bill Does at Its Core Is to Protect a System of Exploitation" and All Four Black Democratic Senators Vote No
September 16, 2026
On Sept. 15, 2026, the Senate voted 74-24 to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the Protect College Sports Act (S. 4668), written by Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and ranking member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and backed by the NCAA. The bill would write national rules for college athletics into law: revenue sharing with players capped at 22% of athletic department revenue, one penalty-free transfer, a five-year eligibility window, pooled conference media rights, a cap on agent fees and limited antitrust protection for the NCAA and conferences. The 24 no votes came from 20 Democrats and four Republicans — Ashley Moody, Rand Paul, Rick Scott and Tommy Tuberville. All four Black Democratic senators — Cory Booker, Raphael Warnock, Lisa Blunt Rochester and Angela Alsobrooks — voted no; the NAACP, the AFL-CIO and the Congressional Black Caucus oppose the bill, arguing it caps what largely Black football and basketball players can earn while leaving coaches' pay untouched. The Senate continued debate on Sept. 16; if the bill passes, it goes to the House. On Sept. 28, 2026, the Senate passed the bill 77-22 after rejecting two amendments from Cory Booker (D-N.J.), 49-50 and 47-52, including one that would have applied the bill's rules to coaches' pay. The bill now goes to the House, which has left town until after the midterm elections.
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Statements Recorded
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13 Statements
“[On his defeated amendment to apply the bill's rules to coaches' salaries:] If the bill supporters believe these rules are necessary for athletes, they should be willing to apply them to coaches, as well. This bill sells out college athletes.
“Today is a monumental day for college athletics. The United States Senate voted to protect the hundreds of thousands of student athletes currently competing in college sports, the millions who will follow in their footsteps, and every college sports fan who wants to preserve this great American tradition for generations to come. … From the beginning, our objective was not to squeak by with 60 or 61 votes but to have a big bipartisan vote that demonstrates the importance of stepping in and saving and preserving college sports. President Trump is eager to sign this legislation.
“College sports are in crisis, and I'm grateful to Senators Cantwell and Cruz for leading this bipartisan effort to save them. … It keeps college sports from collapsing and leaves student-athletes better off than before.
“We need to stop stealing money out of college [and] university institutions for education, for tuition, for professors, and putting it into an arms race on sports. … But compensation on revenue sharing is probably the most important thing we could possibly enshrine in federal law today. This is [Congress] saying, for the first time, that an athlete gets a percentage of the media rights, the ticket sales and the sponsorship.
“That's a big number. You can't get 80 votes in the Senate to congratulate Santa Claus. … I've had initial communication with the Speaker. Once we handle our business, we begin in earnest to see if they can come back. The president will care a lot about that too.
“This legislation is historic in the fact that it puts into law 12 — more than a dozen I should say — important provisions that help athletes and protect them for the future. … More improvements, more votes!
“Today is a chance for us to stand up and fight for the 0.5 million college athletes who are competing right now. … If the Senate doesn't act, hundreds of thousands of those students will see their roster slots go away and their scholarships go away.
“College sports today are in crisis. … [The Protect College Sports Act is] a bipartisan solution designed to bring order to the chaos.
“While a college student and player, I saw just how unjust the NCAA is. It's a monopoly controlling $15 billion … and rapidly growing. The NCAA has a long record of ignoring the cries for justice from exploited college athletes. … It is doing all kind of things to stop players from earning money, putting bureaucracy between them and the possibilities, but it does nothing to affect coaches.
“We're going to get one shot at this, and I don't know if we ever will again soon.
“What this bill does at its core is to protect a system of exploitation. … This bill protects the billions of dollars that coaches and sports industry executives are making over the suppression of compensation for some of the most highly valued athletes in the world.
“This bill brings order to [college sports]. It helps women and Olympic sports, and it sets up a commission to look at the real future, which I think should include collective bargaining. … Let's bring some sanity. Recognize that athletes do deserve revenue sharing, and that this bill will put that into law for the first time.