US: NCAA says scholarship limit lawsuit contradicts O’Bannon ruling

The NCAA and a group of conferences filed a motion on Thursday to have lawsuits challenging the NCAA’s limits on scholarships dismissed, arguing that the suits contradict an earlier ruling from the same judge.

The lawsuits, which could become class actions, were filed in the wake of the Ed O’Bannon ruling, made by US District Judge Claudia Wilken, a high-profile case fighting the caps on compensation paid to NCAA athletes. Judge Wilken ruled that student athletes are entitled to a piece of the profits made by NCAA business ventures that use its athletes’ names and likenesses.

The latest lawsuits were filed in the wake of the O’Bannon ruling and argue that scholarships are illegally capped and are insufficient to cover the cost of attending college.

The lawsuits were filed by Shawne Alston and Martin Jenkins and could soon be consolidated.

But the NCAA filed to have the lawsuits tossed, arguing that a ruling made by Judge Wilken’s in the O’Bannon case confirmed that antitrust laws allow the NCAA to set limits on benefits offered to its athletes, including scholarship caps.

Full content: CBS Sports

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