Former Michigan football players seek $50M in NIL lawsuit against NCAA, Big Ten Network.
Four former Michigan football players, including former quarterback Denard Robinson and wide receiver Braylon Edwards, filed a class-action lawsuit against the NCAA and Big Ten Network for being denied NIL opportunities during their college playing careers.
The lawsuit, which does not target the Wolverines football program, says the NCAA and Big Ten Network “have systematically exploited these iconic moments” the players created during their time at Michigan, per ESPN. It also argues the NCAA and Big Ten Network have made money off the performances of the four players by “broadcasting, advertising, and selling merchandise.” According to CBS Sports, the lawsuit mentions the Big Ten Network has aired classic Michigan football games for nearly two decades without any compensation for the players featured.
The 2016 cutoff is due to the statute of limitations on the initial House v. NCAA lawsuit, which was filed in 2020. Student-athletes have been able to profit from NIL opportunities since 2021.
The ex-Wolverines seek more than $50 million in damages. The lawsuit, which was first reported by the Detroit News, represents all those who played for Michigan prior to 2016.
In May, the NCAA, its power conferences and attorneys representing Division-I student-athletes agreed to settle three major antitrust lawsuits that posed a real threat to the business side of college athletics. Per the settlement’s terms, the NCAA and power conferences will pay roughly $2.7 billion in damages to thousands of student-athletes who played a sport from 2016 to the present day.
The 2016 cutoff is due to the statute of limitations on the initial House v. NCAA lawsuit, which was filed in 2020. Student-athletes have been able to profit from NIL opportunities since 2021.
Leave a Reply