WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Jay Rockefeller, (D-W.V.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) have called on the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to exercise better oversight of its member institutions to ensure that they are taking the necessary steps to protect student-athletes from exploitation. The Senators’ joint letter requests information that will help shed light on the NCAA’s current policies and practices. 

“As college athletics generate growing revenue and publicity with each passing year for colleges and universities, the NCAA, and sponsors, the potential for exploitation and abuse of student-athletes has never been greater,” the Senators wrote. “The need for an organization dedicated to protecting student-athletes is more important than ever.”

The Senators continued, “We are concerned that insufficient oversight exists to ensure that the NCAA and its member institutions are taking adequate steps to protect student-athletes from exploitation.”  

The NCAA is a tax exempt, non-profit organization founded specifically to protect and promote the well-being of student-athletes. However, reports of exploitation at member institutions have become commonplace. 

With student-welfare issues in mind, the Senators will hold a hearing in the coming weeks in the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on “Promoting the Well-Being and Academic Success of College Athletes.” 

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