Is UCLA illegally profiting off the success of student basketball player?

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Former NCAA Men's Basketball Player Wants To Benefit From His Success
Ran Northam Reporting
Chapelboro.com
06 October 2012

A former UCLA basketball player has sued the NCAA for violating anti-trust laws by profiting from its players when the players themselves are not able to benefit.

Director of the Sports Law Institute at the Vermont Law School Michael McCann joined UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication professor Dr. Charlie Tuggle on UNC’s Sports Xtra television program Monday to discuss the lawsuit.

***Listen to the Full Interview***

Ed O’Bannon played at UCLA from 1991-95 before a nearly ten-year career in the NBA. McCann says now O’Bannon wants to be able to benefit from some of the money the institution and the school is making as a result of his success.

“O’Bannon’s argument is really focused on what he expresses as an inability of former college players to profit off their image while another entity—namely the NCAA, but also its licensing partner CLC and its member institutions—earning money off of those same things,” McCann said.

McCann says the lawsuit took a major turn last week when O’Bannon added to the filing.

“Last month he filed for an expansion of the class action to include current D-I players (men’s basketball and football),” McCann said. “So, the threat to the NCAA, and also its member institutions, is pretty considerable.”

law The ruling is likely to take a while, but if the NCAA is found guilty of the violations it could face penalties in the billions of dollars.