The gist: A group of college student athletes filed an antitrust suit against the NCAA to challenge the limits placed on athletics aid.
The players: Former Clemson football player Martin Jenkins and two current Wisconsin athletes: basketball player Nigel Hayes and football player Alec James (and they’re reppin’ football and men’s basketball players in the power conferences). The group scooped antitrust/labor lawyer Jeffrey Kessler — the same dude representing the NFLPA and NBPA in his spare time — to handle the case.
The quirk: Jenkins & Friends are not arguing that student-athletes should receive athletics aid up to the full cost of attendance. They claim they’re entitled to a paycheck and the athletics scholarship model is a price fixing restraint on athlete compensation.
TL;DR*: Jenkins seeks to end all financial restrictions on college athletes.
Losing Jenkins could mean that the NCAA could no longer enforce scholarship limits or the amount schools could pay for scholarships. It would be an open market, and the finances could change considerably.
Story Ideas:
- How could the NCAA set up a ‘lockbox’ with funds for student-athlete to receive after they’ve graduated, or gotten drafted to the NFL?
- Would such a lock box also apply to other sports besides football, even if they don’t receive TV attention?
- If players were payed, would there be a fraction allocated to tuition to help fund the athletics department?
- Only a slim percentage of college athletes actually are ‘worth’ a full scholarship — would there a pay grade and ‘cap’ set on the amount student athletes could receive?
*too long; didn't read