Facing a crowded convention hall last month hanging on his every word, NCAA president Charlie Baker said what the attendees at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics came to hear: The settlement in the House vs. NCAA case had “put things behind us.”
Well, at least for a few weeks it turns out. A series of lawsuits that could conceivably cripple the NCAA by their sheer volume and potential damages have struck again.
Where have we heard that before?
A new antitrust lawsuit seeking ongoing NIL rights for men’s basketball players from the 1997, 2008, 2011 and 2014 national champions, filed Monday, is seeking unspecified damages. It follows a similar complaint last month from the NC State national champions from 40 years ago.
The sheer scope of the actions puts those championships in a whole new light. The suit, Chalmers v. NCAA, essentially states that Kansas’ Mario Chalmers’ game-tying shot in the national title of the 2008 NCAA Tournament against Memphis has been hijacked for profit on the NCAA.com website.
It doesn’t stop there. The Power Five and Big East are also included in the suit for using images from former stars Sherron Collins (Kansas), Jason Terry (Arizona) and Ryan Boatright (UConn). There are 16 players in all. Other names may be added.
And you thought the NCAA had achieved cost certainty with House. Ha! The association’s legal liability is merely getting hitched up to a different train headed off a different cliff.
Remember, it was only six weeks ago the NCAA and its conferences agreed to that settlement, which will pay former athletes $2.7 billion in back damages over the next decade. The schools also agreed to implement revenue-sharing. When opted into, it is expected to provide as much as $22 million per year to athletes.
“If the proposed settlement is accepted, it will bind the NCAA and all the schools in D-I for the next 10 years,”…
..
