Murphy pushes for athletes’ right to organize in college sports reform

Senate Democrats and Republicans are rushing to finish a bipartisan college sports bill, with Sen. Chris Murphy proposing an amendment to replace neutral employment-status language with the College Athlete Right to Organize Act, effectively letting NCAA athletes collectively bargain. The move highlights internal Democrats’ divisions and opposition from labor groups like AFL-CIO, while Murphy also aims to apply transfer-portals-style restrictions to coaches and add protections for athletes reporting misconduct. The vote may occur this week as amendments are debated to speed passage, though final support remains uncertain.