Delaware's lawmakers split as Protect College Sports Act passes Senate
September 28, 2026
The Senate passed a sweeping bipartisan bill on Monday that would regulate college sports, an attempt to end “chaos” in an industry that has been upended by skyrocketing athlete payments and near-unrestricted transfers between schools.
The overwhelming 77-22 vote to pass the legislation is the strongest effort yet by Congress to set national regulations governing payments to college athletes for their name, image and likeness and how often they can transfer. It would give the NCAA new authority over those rules and limited antitrust protections to enforce them.
The bipartisan support of the bill did not extend to Delaware, where the two Democrats took opposite stances.
Lisa Blunt Rochester voted against the bill, while Chris Coons, an original co-sponsor of the bill, supported it on the Senate floor, and spoke about it afterwards.
“College sports are in crisis, and I’m grateful to Senators Cantwell and Cruz for leading this bipartisan effort to save them. Their hard work negotiating with colleges and universities, HBCUs, the NCAA, unions, trial lawyers, players, and others has created a badly needed bill that is a win for student-athletes, schools, and fans. Today’s resounding, bipartisan vote for final passage that won the support of a majority of my Democratic colleagues is proof of their success.
“No matter which school they attend or what sport they play, this bill will protect the education, health, and compensation rights of all 550,000 NCAA student-athletes. It keeps college sports from collapsing and leaves student-athletes better off than before. I want to thank my colleagues for taking up and passing this bill so swiftly, and I urge the House to do the same,” Coons said.
The bill is the product of years of Senate negotiations that intensified after a 2025 lawsuit settlement uprooted the college sports landscape by allowing colleges to pay their players. The legislation, which would still have to pass the House, would codify the settlement into law but also establish new guardrails around the system in an attempt to rein in the runaway costs for colleges.
“It would be nice if college sports could somehow magically fix itself, but this is a matter of law, federal law, and only Congress can fix it,” said Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who negotiated the bill with the top Democrat on the panel, Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell.
The bill’s backers — more than 70 senators from both parties — say it aims to curtail constant litigation and uncertainty across college sports for athletes, schools and fans. It would also give hundreds of thousands of student athletes new health and labor protections.
But critics say the bill doesn’t do enough to protect athletes or curtail the enormous sums of money flowing to coaches, colleges and conferences.
“This is a bill that essentially ensconces a system of exploitation, and it doesn’t fix the broader problems,” said Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat who has worked with labor and civil rights groups to rally opposition to the bill.
The bill’s future is still unclear.
UPDATE | Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester issued a statement about her "no" vote, which was supported by the Congressional Black Caucus:
“The landscape of college sports is changing by the day, and Congress undoubtedly has a responsibility to come together to find a path forward. However, while I appreciate the bipartisan work put into this bill, I remain concerned with it — especially in this moment.
“Despite the bill providing a private right of action for student-athletes, it relies on individual athletes to enforce their rights through litigation. Student-athletes often have limited time, resources, and legal expertise. They should not bear primary responsibility for identifying violations and suing their schools or athletic programs to secure the protections provided by the bill.
“I am also concerned that the bill would codify significant terms governing student-athletes’ compensation, transfers, and eligibility at a time when questions about athletes’ labor rights remain unsettled. Congress should not lock these terms into federal law in ways that could limit student-athletes’ ability to negotiate or collectively bargain over them in the future.
“The adequacy of athlete protections has raised concerns for student-athletes, their families, civil rights organizations, labor organizations, and other athlete advocates, and should be fully considered as the legislation moves forward. I’m hopeful that Congress can come back together to find a solution that is fair and comprehensive for both universities and the students they serve.”
WDEL's Sean Greene contributed to this article
