On Friday, a federal judge in Tennessee landed a massive blow to the NCAA, suspending name, image and likeness restrictions for athletes.
Judge Clifton L. Corker granted a preliminary injunction, effective immediately, which means there are zero restrictions on NIL deals until the matter goes to trial. According to the judge’s order, the NCAA’s interim rules preventing athletes from negotiating with third parties may have broken the law.
“In an apparent attempt to prohibit those inducements, the NCAA issued guidance classifying NIL collectives as ‘boosters’ to prevent them from negotiating with student-athletes during the recruiting and transfer process,” the order reads. “For the reasons stated herein, the NCAA’s prohibition likely violates federal antitrust law and harms student-athletes.”
