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US: Federal appeals court upholds ruling NCAA violates antitrust laws

By  |  September 30, 2015

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday upheld a lower court ruling that NCAA rules limiting what athletes can receive while playing sports violate antitrust laws, but the three-judge panel also threw out a plan that would have allowed schools to provide deferred athletes compensation of as much as $5,000 per year.

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    “The NCAA is not above the antitrust laws, and courts cannot and must not shy away from requiring the NCAA to play by the Sherman Act’s rules,” the panel wrote. “In this case, the NCAA’s rules have been more restrictive than necessary to maintain its tradition of amateurism in support of the college sports market. The Rule of Reason requires that the NCAA permit its schools to provide up to the cost of attendance to their student athletes. It does not require more.”

    The three-judge appellate panel of Sidney R. Thomas, Jay S. Bybee and Gordon J. Quist was unanimous in its finding that the NCAA’s rules violate antitrust laws.

    Full content: The New York Times

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