U.S. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut plans to convene a bipartisan working group this week to consider the rights of student athletes.  

He released on Monday his third and final report about the challenges facing NCAA athletes. Murphy says it’s a civil rights issue.

“These are largely young African American athletes that are playing at the big-time college sports programs, and the adults who are getting rich off their exploits are largely white. That fact can’t be ignored.”

Murphy says the disparity is an injustice that needs to be corrected. 

The report also highlights concerns about student access to healthcare.

“When coaches are making multimillion-dollar salaries, they unfortunately see students as commodities, and they press those commodities into service even when they have serious injuries to deal with.”

Senator Mitt Romey is partnering with Murphy to lead the group, along with Cory Booker, Marco Rubio and David Perdue. They plan to introduce legislation next year.