3 States Join Tennessee, Virginia’s Antitrust Lawsuit Against NCAA NIL Rules

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The Center Square [By Jon Styf] –

Florida, New York and the District of Columbia joined the antitrust case from Tennessee and Virginia against the National Collegiate Athletic Association on Wednesday.

The case led to a February preliminary injunction against the NCAA enforcing its name, image and likeness rules.

That ruling blocked the NCAA from enforcing its interim NIL rules or any NIL restrictions until the full case is heard and a ruling rendered. U.S. District Judge Clifton L. Corker also restricted the NCAA from enforcing its rules of restitution related to NIL activities until a final ruling.

“We’re glad to keep fighting to protect student-athletes from illegal NCAA rules. I welcome the addition of our bipartisan partners to the case,” Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said in a statement. “The ultimate goal is to get the lawyers out of this and let student-athletes compete under fair and clear rules, but in the meantime, we’ll do our part to move things in the right direction.”

The case led Tennessee to change its NIL rules in legislation that passed the General Assembly and is currently on the desk of Gov. Bill Lee waiting to be signed and become law.

The bill would change Tennessee law to allow prospective students to hire an agent and would eliminate fair market value limitations on athlete pay.

About the Author: Jon Styf, The Center Square Staff Reporter – Jon Styf is an award-winning editor and reporter who has worked in Illinois, Texas, Wisconsin, Florida and Michigan in local newsrooms over the past 20 years, working for Shaw Media, Hearst and several other companies. Follow Jon on Twitter @JonStyf.