Overview

• Reese Brantmeier, a top women's tennis player at UNC, has filed a federal lawsuit against the NCAA over its prize-money restrictions, seeking to allow athletes to retain earnings from individual sports.
• The current NCAA rules prohibit college athletes from accepting prize money from events like the U.S. Open, forcing Brantmeier to forfeit over $48,913 in winnings.
• Brantmeier's lawsuit claims the NCAA's restrictions are arbitrary, especially in light of NIL policies that allow athletes to earn money for their name, image, and likeness.
• The lawsuit seeks class-action status and aims to strike down the NCAA's prize money rules, arguing they unfairly target athletes in individual sports.
• The legal challenge is part of a broader movement against the NCAA's compensation and mobility restrictions, questioning the association's notion of 'amateurism.'