NCAA NIL lawsuit: Why did the former Kansas players sue NCAA? Exploring latest details around the move
The NCAA continues to have some legal issues. Former Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball players Mario Chalmers and Sherron Collins are two of the plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit against the NCAA filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
The class-action lawsuit looks to represent athletes who played college sports before June 15, 2016, which is the cutoff for class members who can receive settlement money in the House v. NCAA class action.
The lawsuit alleges that the NCAA unlawfully uses former athletes' names, images, and likenesses in videos such as the NCAA Tournament highlights to open the games. This has two different antitrust claims as well as an unjust enrichment claim and the damages could be massive if this becomes certified.
Below is the full list of plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit that was issued in the Southern District of New York.
- Mario Chalmers
- Sherron Collins
- Jason Terry
- Ryan Boatright
- DeAndre Daniels
- Alex Oriakhi
- Vincent Council
- Roscoe Smith
- Matt Pressey
- Eugene Edgerson
- Aaron Bramlett
- Jason Stewart
- Gerard Coleman
- Justin Greene
- Ron Giplaye
- James Cunningham
Meanwhile, the defendants in the class-action lawsuit include the various college basketball conferences - the Big East, Pac-12, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, ACC - as well as Turner Sports Interactive.
In addition, they also state that these former players are both representing themselves individually as well as all other former players in a similar situation that are part of the class action lawsuit.
What other lawsuits is the NCAA associated with?
The NCAA is one of the most powerful organizations in the sports world. That means there are multiple groups looking to make a dent into the powerhouse that is the college athletics juggernaut.
One lawsuit that is going on is the House vs. NCAA, in which the plaintiff is seeking back pay for the former collegiate athletes who did not get to benefit from the name, image, and likeness changes that took place during the summer of 2021.
The NCAA board voted in May to settle the case, but it has not yet been approved by a federal judge. Under the settlement terms, the NCAA will provide more than $2.7 billion to former athletes over the next decade for back damages related to NIL restrictions.
Meanwhile, members of the 1983 NC State men's basketball team also sued the NCAA and the Collegiate Licensing Company on June 10 for the unauthorized use of their NIL.