Minneapolis law firm joins growing chorus of complaints against NCAA
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A prominent Minneapolis law firm is suing universities, the NCAA and its conferences.
The suit alleges student athletes are not fairly compensated for their work. It claims the NCAA violates federal anti-trust law, and says students should be able to seek profit from activities such as product endorsements, film appearances and autograph signings.
"Television networks and cable TV are paying billions of dollars to the league and to schools," Charles Zimmerman, an attorney on the case, told MPR News' Tom Crann. "It's time now for the student athlete to not be restricted by the rules of 1946, or 1964, or 1984" and to have enough money to cover all school-related expenses, he said.
It's an argument common to several lawsuits filed recently nationwide. Zimmerman, a founding partner at Zimmerman Reed, said he expects the cases to be consolidated as a single class-action suit.
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The NCAA announced new rules last week that grant more autonomy to the five wealthiest college athletics conferences. Some heralded these rules as monumental.
But Gregg Easterbrook, ESPN columnist and author of "The King of Sports," said they represent only a "minor move" on the part of the NCAA. "The big moves are yet to come," he said on The Daily Circuit last week.
"I think we're flying right into the face of this change," Zimmerman said of the lawsuit filed Aug. 8. He forecasted a "seismic change in college sports."
In a statement, the NCAA said it had reviewed the case and others making similar claims. "We continue to believe the award of athletics scholarship is appropriate and lawful," said Stacey Osburn, director of public and media relations.
The University of Minnesota is a member of the Big Ten conference, competing in the NCAA's Division 1. The school's athletic department generated more than $98 million in revenue last year, according to a USA Today analysis comparing spending and revenue among NCAA Division I public universities.
