WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, on Tuesday released the following statement in response to the announcement that presidents of universities in the Big Ten Conference voted to postpone the 2020 college football season with hopes of playing in the spring:

“We are in the middle of a public health crisis first and foremost. Until President Trump starts taking that seriously, we are going to keep seeing consequences like the postponement of college football. I want to be able to watch college sports this year as much as anyone, but it’s unacceptable to expect athletes to put their futures on the line for no compensation and without the necessary protections for their health and safety. Universities and conferences are coming to that hard realization, and we are seeing that play out in real time with this announcement from the Big Ten. COVID-19 exposed what has always been true—college sports is a multi-billion dollar industry that is dependent on the unpaid labor of these athletes. Right now, college players are using their collective bargaining power to call for reasonable demands: universal health and safety precautions, the ability to opt out without losing eligibility and the ability to form a players association. If we want college sports to continue, conferences, coaches and universities should take them seriously,” said Murphy.

Murphy has been an outspoken advocate on the issue of reforming college sports. In June, Murphy and Golden State Warriors player Draymond Green co-authored an op-ed for ESPN on how college sports must change following the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide protests for racial justice. Last December, Murphy released his third and final report in a series of reports that considered the range of problems within college athletics. The report, Madness, Inc.: How College Sports Leave Athletes Broken and Abandoned,” examines the ways in which colleges and the NCAA neglect athletes’ health and received praise from players and advocates across the college athletics community. Murphy’s first Madness, Inc. report examined the billions in revenues produced by college sports and how that money enriches nearly everyone but the athletes themselves. Coaches, former athletes, and advocates have spoken out in support of Murphy’s first report. Murphy’s second report examined the ways in which colleges fail in providing athletes the education they deserve. This report similarly received praise from coaches, former athletes and advocates.

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