US District Judge Classifies NCAA Lawsuit as Class Action: NCAA May Face $4.2 Billion in Damages

Certification as class action enables over 14,000 athletes to join the lawsuit accusing NCAA of violating antitrust law by withholding name, image and likeness earnings; damages could overhaul NCAA's business model and reshape college sports landscape.

U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken has ruled that the lawsuit seeking $1.4 billion in name, image, and likeness damages for athletes can be categorized as a class-action case. This opens the door for over 14,000 current and former college athletes to join the lawsuit against the NCAA.
Accusations against the NCAA include violating antitrust law by restricting name, image and likeness (NIL) earnings prior to 2021, depriving players of potential compensation from video game publishers, and preventing conferences from sharing broadcasting revenue with the athletes.
Should the plaintiffs be successful, the NCAA could face up to $4.2 billion in damages, which far exceeds the organization's reported net assets worth of $458 million.
A significant component of the lawsuit focuses on broadcasting rights, with the plaintiff's attorneys contending that athletes should be entitled to at least 10% of the value of the broadcast rights for their sports. This argument is based on the athletes' NIL appearing in those broadcasts.
If the NCAA loses, it could signify a radical shift in power from the NCAA to the Power Five conferences. Under new court-ordered models, conferences would resemble professional leagues, potentially allowing NCAA athletes to form trade associations similar to professional players' unions.
As a consequence of this lawsuit, as well as several current legal challenges aimed at changing the NCAA's business model, the NCAA is seeking legal protections from Congress against future antitrust lawsuits

The Messenger

The San Francisco Standard