A PYMNTS Company

Pro Players File Brief Backing College Athletes In NCAA SCOTUS Case

By  |  March 11, 2021

On Wednesday, March 10, a brief on behalf of the players associations from the NFL, NBA, WNBA, NWSL, and the Collegiate Association supporting college athletes in their appeal to challenge the NCAA’s restrictions on educated-related benefits above the cost of attendance was filed in the United States Supreme Court in NCAA v. Alston, et al.

The high court had previously agreed in December to review a lower court decision in an antitrust lawsuit the NCAA had claimed blurred “the line between student-athletes and professionals” by removing limits on compensation that major college football and basketball players can receive, reported Sports Illustrated.

The Supreme Court will hear arguments for the case on March 31.The case was brought by former West Virginia football player Shawne Alston and others.

“It is time for the Supreme Court to reaffirm that the big multibillion-dollar businesses of Division I basketball and FBS football are fully subject to antirust review and that the era of exploiting the athletes who provide the labor in these businesses must come to an end,” Jeffrey Kessler, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs, said in December.

Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.