NIL

[vegashog]

I'm all in favor of getting control of NIL, but a President just saying how much somebody can make because he says so, no, I'm not in favor of that.

this. and i would hope he has better things to do at the moment.

congress is the body that will have to do something. any eo trump may consider will go immediately to the courts and eventually to  scotus who has already ruled on it.

[Sus-Scrofa]

Waltons just going to start a new university in Bentonville instead of going all in on little old Arkansas.

[The Whyte Boar]

I suppose an executive order could get at funding for schools, which would be bound to resort in lawsuits and drive the issue by putting pressure on Congress and providing impetus for it to act.

Remember with Trump everything, including executive orders are not necessarily ends but means to provide negotiation leverage to get to an end.

[Zeke]

Keep thrusting.  Eventually the goat will get off.

That's not a nice thing to call your mother.

[DirkPiggler]

That's not a nice thing to call your mother.

Your comebacks are as insightful as your football knowledge.   

[jdcatty]

So are we not doing another 50-50 deal this week?  Seems like we should be.

[DrMongoose]

So are we not doing another 50-50 deal this week?  Seems like we should be.

That would require leadership and a plan beyond 5 days, but how about a liberty bowl t-shirt?

[jdcatty]

That would require leadership and a plan beyond 5 days, but how about a liberty bowl t-shirt?

Of course.  What was I thinking.  I thought we needed money or something.  Silly me.

[buff2.0]

That would require leadership and a plan beyond 5 days, but how about a liberty bowl t-shirt?

A commemorative ceramic plate set to celebrate the raising of the latest banner?

[Silence Of The Hams]

So are we not doing another 50-50 deal this week?  Seems like we should be.

Should do it for almost any game, the world is full of degenerate gamblers

[Show-Me Hog]

This is wild.  I was not aware of this lawsuit.  But, with the amount of money a college player can make now, ANY limit enacted by an NCAA rule (such as how many years he can play, or on limiting transfers) is going to be challenged in court.

Not hard to envision 10th year seniors on their 9th team, playing at age 29.

Zakai Zeigler filed a lawsuit against the NCAA regarding his eligibility back in May, pushing to play in 2025-26 after alleging that the rule permitting just four seasons of competition in a five-year window is "in an unlawful restraint of trade under federal and state antitrust laws." In the same lawsuit, he alleges his NIL valuation for the upcoming season would fall between $2 million and $4 million based on his value as an "upperclassman with a proven performance record and high visibility, especially in a high-profile conference like the SEC."

The NCAA's response? Get a job — one that doesn't include playing basketball for the Tennessee Volunteers (or anywhere in the collegiate ranks, for that matter). They denied Zeigler's motion on Monday, making it clear the lawsuit only hurts future student-athletes, particularly incoming freshmen in need of those roster spots the post-graduate players out of eligibility are trying to take.

Though Zeigler says a fifth year of eligibility would allow him to cash out on one final lucrative NIL deal in college while developing as a potential pro, the NCAA said if the Tennessee star "had a viable path to the NBA, given his resume, he would already be a viable prospect. After all, NBA scouts would have seen him play in 138 collegiate contests. ... There is no evidence that one more season of participation in college basketball is necessary (for Zeigler to play professionally)" considering he's already met the age and experience requirements to enter the draft, but passed multiple times in favor of a degree.

"While Plaintiff focuses only on what that means for himself, he does so to the detriment of the entering student-athletes who dream of being the next Zakai Zeigler,"the NCAA said. "... College athletics is a means to a better end for student-athletes — not the end itself."

Ouch.

It's not just the NCAA defending itself in the lawsuit, either, which will be heard by a U.S. District Judge on Friday. The U.S. Department of Justice has also decided to voice its opinion on Zeigler's lawsuit — a first in eligibility cases. Though it didn't explicitly take a side, the DOJ did ask the court to apply a "flexible rule-of-reason approach" when hearing the case while considering the NCAA v. Alston ruling in 2021 regarding the violation of antitrust laws.

In short, the court can decide how it chooses to decide, but the eligibility rules help maintain fairness and academic standards and following those rules can prevent schools from gaining unfair athletic advantages. It's a rule that preserves academic integrity and distinguishes them from professional sports.

"Eligibility rules — like the scholarship rules upheld in the Alston litigation — not only can enhance consumer demand—potentially leading to greater compensation—but also can enhance quality in the labor market by preserving 'the distinction between college sports and professional sports,'" the DOJ wrote. "... We ask this Court to take into account the legal principles laid out above in applying the rule of reason. Whether and to what extent specific anticompetitive effects and procompetitive benefits arise from the Four Seasons Rule in the student-athlete labor market are factual questions to be answered based on the record at the upcoming hearing, and the United States takes no position on those facts.

"We urge the court, however, to consider how the rule may benefit competition in the relevant labor market, including by potentially enhancing the quality of the student-athlete experience."

In other words, you are not special, Zakai Zeigler. You played in 138 games across four seasons, averaging 29.3 minutes per contest en route to all-time status at Tennessee. Owning the school record for assists (747) and steals (251) while sitting in fifth among games and minutes played, No. 18 in scoring at 1,556 career points, it's time to move on.

Get a job. It's time. The NCAA already thought so, and now, the U.S. Department of Justice agrees.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/u-s-department-of-justice-ncaa-to-zakai-zeigler-get-a-job/ar-AA1G5K4t?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=086b106335ea4d019ba6ff467b2c6260&ei=11

[BleedinRed]

This is wild.  I was not aware of this lawsuit.  But, with the amount of money a college player can make now, ANY limit enacted by an NCAA rule (such as how many years he can play, or on limiting transfers) is going to be challenged in court.

Not hard to envision 10th year seniors on their 9th team, playing at age 29.

Zakai Zeigler filed a lawsuit against the NCAA regarding his eligibility back in May, pushing to play in 2025-26 after alleging that the rule permitting just four seasons of competition in a five-year window is "in an unlawful restraint of trade under federal and state antitrust laws." In the same lawsuit, he alleges his NIL valuation for the upcoming season would fall between $2 million and $4 million based on his value as an "upperclassman with a proven performance record and high visibility, especially in a high-profile conference like the SEC."

The NCAA's response? Get a job — one that doesn't include playing basketball for the Tennessee Volunteers (or anywhere in the collegiate ranks, for that matter). They denied Zeigler's motion on Monday, making it clear the lawsuit only hurts future student-athletes, particularly incoming freshmen in need of those roster spots the post-graduate players out of eligibility are trying to take.

Though Zeigler says a fifth year of eligibility would allow him to cash out on one final lucrative NIL deal in college while developing as a potential pro, the NCAA said if the Tennessee star "had a viable path to the NBA, given his resume, he would already be a viable prospect. After all, NBA scouts would have seen him play in 138 collegiate contests. ... There is no evidence that one more season of participation in college basketball is necessary (for Zeigler to play professionally)" considering he's already met the age and experience requirements to enter the draft, but passed multiple times in favor of a degree.

"While Plaintiff focuses only on what that means for himself, he does so to the detriment of the entering student-athletes who dream of being the next Zakai Zeigler,"the NCAA said. "... College athletics is a means to a better end for student-athletes — not the end itself."

Ouch.

It's not just the NCAA defending itself in the lawsuit, either, which will be heard by a U.S. District Judge on Friday. The U.S. Department of Justice has also decided to voice its opinion on Zeigler's lawsuit — a first in eligibility cases. Though it didn't explicitly take a side, the DOJ did ask the court to apply a "flexible rule-of-reason approach" when hearing the case while considering the NCAA v. Alston ruling in 2021 regarding the violation of antitrust laws.

In short, the court can decide how it chooses to decide, but the eligibility rules help maintain fairness and academic standards and following those rules can prevent schools from gaining unfair athletic advantages. It's a rule that preserves academic integrity and distinguishes them from professional sports.

"Eligibility rules — like the scholarship rules upheld in the Alston litigation — not only can enhance consumer demand—potentially leading to greater compensation—but also can enhance quality in the labor market by preserving 'the distinction between college sports and professional sports,'" the DOJ wrote. "... We ask this Court to take into account the legal principles laid out above in applying the rule of reason. Whether and to what extent specific anticompetitive effects and procompetitive benefits arise from the Four Seasons Rule in the student-athlete labor market are factual questions to be answered based on the record at the upcoming hearing, and the United States takes no position on those facts.

"We urge the court, however, to consider how the rule may benefit competition in the relevant labor market, including by potentially enhancing the quality of the student-athlete experience."

In other words, you are not special, Zakai Zeigler. You played in 138 games across four seasons, averaging 29.3 minutes per contest en route to all-time status at Tennessee. Owning the school record for assists (747) and steals (251) while sitting in fifth among games and minutes played, No. 18 in scoring at 1,556 career points, it's time to move on.

Get a job. It's time. The NCAA already thought so, and now, the U.S. Department of Justice agrees.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/u-s-department-of-justice-ncaa-to-zakai-zeigler-get-a-job/ar-AA1G5K4t?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=086b106335ea4d019ba6ff467b2c6260&ei=11

Why don't high school athletes have the same opportunities?  What is different between college and high school?  Both are four year institutions with a degree requirement.   

If I were a senior, I'd flunk and keep those state titles rolling in and keep receiving that good NIL money.  Plus, you could real life say that's what I love about these high school girls, man. I get older, they stay the same age.

[jdcatty]

Tom Mars has been preaching for a while that the NCAA has no rules at all that are enforceable, because of the NCAA's monopoly.  I have seen blurbs he has written saying as much.  NIL is killing college sports-- at least as we know it.

[The Whyte Boar]

I mean we've been talking about this for years.  I've been saying it on this board.  The anti-trust rulings mean there are NO rules that will withstand a court challenge if the recent rulings are applied.  Any attempt at rules are collusion and a restraint on trade.

The only way it gets fixed is congressional action sort of like baseball got with an anti-trust exemption or maybe a player's association and collective bargaining like the NFL. 

There is no political consensus for political solution and any other solution is apt to take at least a decade or more to work itself out.

[BASS]

^ he's right you know.

But instead of leading the fringe of the wild West and being the bad boys of college sports, we're too busy trying to do it with integrity and shit.

[SwahiliSteve]

I mean they are right..:if he's that good then go pro. He's trying to milk another year playing in college ball because of the money cause he probably won't ever get that good of a deal in the pros or maybe not be drafted at all. Fuck him

[Pig Benis]

https://x.com/rossdellenger/status/1930663432434429955

I wonder if we have/had any visitors this week? The Vols hosted one of the UVA transfers. Gonna be some crazy bidding wars before July 1.

[BleedinRed]

Welcome to Corporate America sports fans!

[buff2.0]

Sucks super hard for the smaller programs that always seem to at least have really good baseball teams.

[vegashog]

house settlement finalized.

https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/45467505/judge-grants-final-approval-house-v-ncaa-settlement