Tag: NCAA

Tennessee Head Coach Jeremy Pruitt runs off the field after a game between Tennessee and Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018. Tennessee defeated Auburn 30-24. Auburntennessee1013 1831 RANK 10

Ex-Tennessee football coach suing NCAA for $100M

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Former Tennessee football coach Jeremy Pruitt filed a lawsuit this week against the NCAA seeking $100 million over the fallout from his firing four years ago for recruiting violations.

The lawsuit filed on Wednesday in DeKalb County, Ala., claims that the NCAA conspired with the university to make him “the sacrificial lamb for conduct that long preceded his tenure at UT.”

Tennessee hired Pruitt in December 2017, replacing Butch Jones. Pruitt was fired for cause in January 2021 after going 16-19 in three seasons and did not receive any of his $12.6 million buyout.

In July 2023, Tennessee learned that all 11 wins from the 2019 and 2020 seasons had been vacated as part of the punishment for the alleged violations during Pruitt’s tenure.

The NCAA also issued a six-year show-cause penalty and one-year suspension against Pruitt, who has not coached in college football since. He is currently helping to coach at Alabama’s Plainview High School, his alma mater.

Pruitt’s lawsuit claims that Tennessee was paying players before he was hired. He said he informed then-athletic director Phillip Fulmer of the payments and Fulmer told Pruitt “he would handle it,” per the lawsuit.

In the lawsuit, Pruitt, 50, claims that he has suffered damages including lost wages, future lost wages, damage to his reputation, emotional distress and mental anguish.

Pruitt’s attorneys issued a statement to USA Today.

“We stand wholeheartedly behind Coach Pruitt’s claims as detailed in the complaint,” the statement read. “While we appreciate the public’s interest in this matter, we do not intend to try Coach Pruitt’s case in the media. Coach Pruitt’s claims deserve to be evaluated by an Alabama jury. We intend to give Jeremy the fair and impartial forum that the NCAA would not allow.”

The NCAA released a statement in response to the lawsuit.

“NCAA rules are proposed and adopted by member schools and penalties for violations are imposed by a committee of representatives from NCAA member schools and conferences as well as individuals from the public who have legal training,” the statement read. “In this case, the Committee on Infractions found violations and assigned penalties, both of which were affirmed by the Infractions Appeals Committee.”

Tennessee issued a statement saying it is “confident in the actions taken in the Pruitt case. We will continue to prioritize our student-athletes and winning with integrity.”

–Field Level Media

Dec 18, 2024; Inglewood, CA, USA; UNLV Rebels defensive back Jett Elad (9)celebrates after a play in the first half against the California Golden Bears at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Report: Rutgers transfer seeking NIL deal suing NCAA

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Rutgers transfer Jett Elad is challenging the NCAA’s eligibility rules and hoping to cash in on a lucrative NIL deal.

The Canadian-born safety filed a lawsuit last week in federal district court in New Jersey, seeking an injunction that would block the NCAA from enforcing its so-called “five-year rule.”

The eligibility rule requires student-athletes to play four seasons within five years, including junior college.

Elad, who turns 24 next month, began his journey at Ohio University, where he redshirted in 2019 before playing in three games in 2020 and nine in 2021. He then spent the 2022 season at Garden City Community College in Kansas before transferring to UNLV for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

“The eligibility rule at issue is unlawful because it has substantial anticompetitive effects on two-year or junior colleges and universities that are excluded from NCAA membership,” states the lawsuit filed by Elad, according to a copy obtained by Sportsnet.

“… This five-year period includes time spent at a two-year or junior college. The effect of this rule (the “Five-Year Rule”) is to discourage student-athletes from attending junior college to prepare for four-year college and to punish those who do so, even though junior colleges may provide such student-athletes with necessary academic and other opportunities. And just as the student-athletes are deprived of the junior-college experience that may so benefit them, the junior colleges are deprived of elite athletes, reducing their ability to compete with NCAA schools.”

Elad hopes to be on the field for coach Greg Schiano’s Scarlet Knights this season, with spring practice starting this week in Piscataway, N.J.

In addition to the opportunity to play in a major conference like the Big Ten, at stake is a reported $500,000 name, image and likeness deal.

The NCAA rule will “permanently deprive (Elad) of a once-in-a-lifetime” NIL deal “and the opportunity to enhance his career and reputation by playing another year of Division I football,” the lawsuit argues.

In a statement to Sportico, an NCAA spokesperson said the association “stands by its eligibility rules, including the five-year rule, which enable student-athletes and schools to have fair competition and ensure broad access to the unique and life-changing opportunity to be a student-athlete.”

U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi has scheduled a hearing for April 3 in Trenton, N.J.

–Field Level Media

Jan 10, 2022; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; A sign at the entrance to the NCAA Hall of Champions and national office. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Division I Council cuts transfer portal windows to 30 total days

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The NCAA Division I Council voted Tuesday in favor of shortening the transfer portal windows for both football and basketball.

The timeframes in which athletes could enter the transfer portal had already been trimmed once from 60 to 45 days. Tuesday’s decision brought those windows down to a combined 30 days.

Eliminating the spring window for football had been under consideration, but the Division I Council opted to keep it for players eyeing a transfer after the results of spring practices.

Football players will have a 20-day window during the winter and a 10-day window in the spring. The dates for the 2024-25 offseason will be Dec. 9-28 and April 16-25. Athletes in the portal can commit to a new school at any time, not only when the portal is open for them to enter.

The men’s and women’s basketball transfer portal will open for 30 days starting the day after the end of the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Athletes will still be given the opportunity to transfer for 30 days when their original school’s head coach departs for any reason, starting the day the departure is announced.

The timeline modifications should help athletic programs better navigate the offseason after the advent of the free one-time transfer coupled with name, image and likeness rights made for unprecedented amounts of player movement.

More than 2,800 FBS scholarship players entered the transfer portal during 2023-24. The number of men’s basketball players to hit the portal in 2024 was around 2,000, some estimates found.

–Field Level Media

Sep 1, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Southern California Trojans former running back Reggie Bush attends the game against the LSU Tigers at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Reggie Bush sues USC, Pac-12, NCAA over use of NIL

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Reggie Bush is suing the University of Southern California, the Pac-12 Conference and the NCAA for compensation for the use of his name, image and likeness while he was a college athlete.

“This case is not just about seeking justice for Reggie Bush,” Evan Selik, one of the attorneys representing Bush, said in a statement Monday. “It’s about setting a precedent for the fair treatment of all college athletes. Our goal is to rectify this injustice and pave the way for a system where athletes are rightfully recognized, compensated and treated fairly for their contributions.”

The filing claims that USC, the conference and the NCAA financially benefited from Bush’s “significant popularity” and “prominence” during and after his time with the Trojans’ football program, with whom he won the 2004 BCS national championship and the 2005 Heisman Trophy.

Bush notably forfeited his Heisman in 2010 amid reports that the Heisman Trust would revoke it after USC was hit with major NCAA sanctions because Bush and his family received improper financial benefits during his time there.

With athletes now allowed to capitalize on their NIL rights, Bush asked for the award to be reinstated. The Heisman Trust obliged this past April, acknowledging the “enormous changes” to the world of college football.

Bush has not been associated with USC for most of the time between the sanctions and the present day. He was on the sideline for the Trojans’ season-opening win over LSU in Las Vegas.

“We appreciate that the new administration at USC is trying to pick up the pieces of the former administrations’ unjust and improper handling of Reggie Bush,” said Levi G. McCathern II, another one of Bush’s attorneys. “However, the delay in fixing this speaks volumes.”

–Field Level Media

Jun 4, 2024; Eugene, OR, USA; A NCAA logo flag at Hayward Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Reports: NCAA looks at cutting spring portal window for football

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The NCAA Football Oversight Committee proposed the elimination of the spring transfer portal window to the Division I council this week, Yahoo Sports and The Athletic reported Friday.

At present, Division I football players can enter the transfer portal in two different windows during the year: a 30-day period after the conference championship games are played, as well as April 16-30, which fall in line with spring practices. The April window is what’s on the chopping block.

Players do not need to commit to their new school during those windows. Those dates are merely when the athletes are able to enter the portal.

The Power 4 conferences and the American Football Coaches Association support the move to get rid of the April window, Yahoo reported.

The idea comes amid the settlement of the House v. NCAA court case that would impose 105-player scholarship limits in football and eliminate walk-ons starting in 2025-26.

The DI Council could vote on the recommendation to eliminate the spring portal window during meetings this fall.

–Field Level Media

The SEC logo in the hallway at the Hilton Sandestin in Destin, Fla. on Tuesday May 31, 2022 at the annual SEC spring meetings.

Report: Power 5, NCAA reach historic agreement to pay players

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The SEC and Pac-12 joined the three other power conferences – the Big Ten, ACC and Big 12 – and the NCAA in agreeing on a multi-billion-dollar settlement that would allow schools to directly pay student-athletes for the first time in NCAA history, ESPN reported on Thursday.

“The five autonomy conferences and the NCAA agreeing to settlement terms is an important step in the continuing reform of college sports that will provide benefits to student-athletes and provide clarity in college athletics across all divisions for years to come,” NCAA president Charlie Baker and the five power conference commissioners said in a joint statement Thursday evening.

With the NCAA’s board agreeing to the terms of the settlement — which would also resolve three federal antitrust cases — former college athletes are one step closer to getting over $2.7 billion in back damages over the next decade because of previous restrictions on name, image and likeness (NIL) deals.

Future athletes also would benefit, as the Big 12, Atlantic Coast Conference and Big Ten — three of the defendants in the case — are hoping to put a system in place that would give schools the power to pay them about $20 million per year in permissive revenue sharing.

Such payments wouldn’t start until fall of 2025.

The ACC and Big 12 accepted the terms of the settlement on Tuesday. The Big Ten joined in on Wednesday.

Per the terms of the agreement, athletes won’t be able to sue the NCAA in future antitrust lawsuits and must drop their complaints in three current lawsuits: Carter v. NCAA, Hubbard v. NCAA and House v. NCAA.

Former Colorado football player Alex Fontenot’s lawsuit against the NCAA is not included in this pending settlement. Fontenot’s suit is regarding how the NCAA shares TV revenues with players.

The settlement is not yet official as it requires the approval of U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken, who is presiding over the three antitrust cases. Also, if players choose to join Fontenot’s lawsuit, the settlement agreed on by the NCAA and Power 5 could be rendered null and void.

–Field Level Media

Nov 11, 2023; College Station, Texas, USA; A detailed view of the SEC logo on a chain marker during the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

Report: NCAA agrees to settlement in House v. NCAA

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Former college athletes are due for a payday after the NCAA Board of Governors voted to agree to settle House v. NCAA and other antitrust cases related to it, ESPN reported Wednesday.

With the NCAA’s board agreeing to the terms of the settlement, former college athletes are one step closer to getting over $2.7 billion in back damages over the next decade because of previous restrictions on Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals.

Future athletes would also benefit, as the Big 12, Atlantic Coast Conference and Big Ten — three of the defendants in the case — are hoping to put a system in place that would give schools the power to pay them about $20 million per year in permissive revenue sharing.

Such payments wouldn’t start until fall of 2025.

The ACC and Big 12 had already accepted the terms of the settlement, doing so on Tuesday. The Big Ten joined in on Wednesday, and now the Southeastern Conference and Pac-12 just need to submit their approval.

Both the SEC and Pac-12 are expected to approve the terms later this week, per ESPN’s report.

It is expected that a settlement will officially be reached, and if that were the case, the schools and the NCAA would avoid going to court, where they could have had to pay over $4 billion in damages if they lost.

Per ESPN’s report, the plaintiffs in the case could also dismiss two other antitrust cases against the NCAA that are currently pending and could possibly add billions of dollars in damages to the association’s plate.

–Field Level Media

Sep 4, 2021; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; A detailed view of the ACC logo on the down marker used during the game between William & Mary Tribe and the Virginia Cavaliers at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports

Report: ACC teams up with Big 12 in House vs. NCAA case

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The Atlantic Coast Conference will be working alongside the Big 12 in House v. NCAA, and it will vote to settle that case in addition to other antitrust cases related to it, ESPN reported Tuesday.

A settlement is expected to pass, which would create a framework that would allow schools to give millions of dollars to athletes in the future. Former athletes who couldn’t sign Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals would also have access to a fund of over $2.7 billion.

There will be four more votes this week, with three coming from Power Five conferences and the other coming from the NCAA board of governors.

Presidents of ACC schools voted in-person in Charlotte on Tuesday, the same day that presidents and chancellors of Big 12 universities met virtually to vote. Texas and Oklahoma, the departing members of the Big 12, stayed away from that vote, which resulted in unanimous approval.

ESPN’s report indicated that conferences are putting forth little resistance to the settlement, and the NCAA is also in the same boat.

The Pac-12 will be voting as a 12-team conference, the way it was when the House v. NCAA case was filed.

As part of the settlement, the NCAA would have to pay over $2.7 billion in back damages over a decade. About $1.6 billion of that won’t be given to the schools.

Schools are trying to settle to avoid things spiraling further out of control in the future, something that legal experts foresee happening because of the NCAA’s poor track record in court cases, per ESPN’s report.

–Field Level Media

Jan 7, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; A helmet with the College Football Playoff logo at the CFP National Championship Head Coaches press conference at JW Marriot Houston by the Galleria. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Report: NIL antitrust case vs. NCAA may be settled in near future

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The antitrust class action lawsuit levied against the NCAA may not go to trial as college sports leaders are in talks to settle, per an ESPN report on Monday.

The plaintiffs in the case, House vs. NCAA, have accused the NCAA and its power conferences of breaking federal law by limiting how athletes can benefit from selling their name, image or likeness.

If the case were to go to trial – set for January 2025 — and the plaintiffs win, the NCAA and its schools could have to shell out more than $4 billion in damages.

NCAA president Charlie Baker, NCAA lawyers, the plaintiffs’ attorneys have been meeting with the power conference commissioners and their general counsels in the Dallas area, with talks ramping up of late, per the report.

Per the report, more information regarding a possible settlement is expected to be released soon, though no deal is close to completion. The settlement – which could cost the NCAA billions in back pay for former athletes — could be the foundation for the NCAA sharing revenue with athletes in the future.

Although it has not been settled, the top-end revenue share amount per school would be around $20 million every year.

Another issue the NCAA faces is college athletes aiming to be viewed as employees and allowing them to unionize, with the National Labor Relations Board reviewing a pair of cases.

While NCAA leaders are against athletes becoming employees, Baker has looked into methods to provide more revenue to athletes at some schools. In December, he proposed a subdivision of the richest programs to pay $30,000 per year to half their athletes or more.

The NCAA wants Congress to enact a clause specifying that college athletes aren’t employees, but there hasn’t been much progress on that front. A multi-billion settlement toward revenue sharing with athletes may lead Congress to help govern college sports.

–Field Level Media

Jim Harbaugh looks on during Michigan's national championship celebration.

Michigan agrees to 3-year probation for recruiting violations

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Michigan will serve three years of probation after reaching an agreement with the NCAA over recruiting violations and coaching activities by noncoaching staff members, the NCAA announced Tuesday.

Michigan will face recruiting restrictions and pay a fine in relation to violations from five current or former football employees.

The penalties include a one-year show-cause order for all five individuals.

“Today’s joint resolution pertains to the University of Michigan Athletic Department and several former and current employees,” Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement. “We are pleased to reach a resolution on this matter so that our student-athletes and our football program can move forward. We have no additional information and cannot comment further on other aspects of the NCAA’s inquiries.”

The NCAA said that former coach Jim Harbaugh — who guided the team to the College Football Playoff title in January — isn’t part in the agreement.

“The agreed-upon violations involve impermissible in-person recruiting contacts during a COVID-19 dead period, impermissible tryouts, and the program exceeding the number of allowed countable coaches when noncoaching staff members engaged in on- and off-field coaching activities (including providing technical and tactical skills instruction to student-athletes),” the NCAA said in a statement.

“The negotiated resolution also involved the school’s agreement that the underlying violations demonstrated a head coach responsibility violation and the former football head coach failed to meet his responsibility to cooperate with the investigation. The school also agreed that it failed to deter and detect the impermissible recruiting contacts and did not ensure that the football program adhered to rules for noncoaching staff members.”

Harbaugh is now the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.

“I filed a lengthy response to the (Notice of Allegations) on behalf of Coach Harbaugh, which unfortunately hasn’t been made public and will probably never see the light of day,” Tom Mars, Harbaugh’s attorney, told ESPN. “That concluded Coach Harbaugh’s participation in the case.”

Harbaugh served a three-game suspension at the beginning of the 2023 season after the NCAA felt he made false statements during the investigation. Then-offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore served a one-game suspension. Moore is now the Wolverines’ head coach.

Tuesday’s developments are unrelated to the Michigan sign-stealing investigation. That case is ongoing. Harbaugh also served a three-game suspension in that case.

–Field Level Media