The NCAA was delivered a devastating blow Friday, as U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken ruled that the corporation was in violation of federal antitrust laws in their restriction of players being allowed to share in revenue generated from the use of the their names and likenesses.
U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken, in a 99-page ruling in favor of a group of plaintiffs led by former UCLA basketball player Ed O’Bannon, issued an injunction that will prevent the NCAA the “from enforcing any rules or bylaws that would prohibit its member schools and conferences from offering their FBS football or Division I basketball recruits a limited share of the revenues generated from the use of their names, images, and likenesses in addition to a full grant-in-aid.”
Wilken said the injunction will not be stayed pending any appeal of her ruling, but it will not take effect until the start of the next FBS football and Division I basketball recruiting cycle
Wilken’s ruling said the NCAA will not be prevented from implementing rules capping the amount of compensation that may be paid athletes while they are in school. However, she ruled, “the NCAA will not be permitted to set this cap below the cost of attendance, as the term is defined in its current bylaws.”
To the relief of the NCAA, Wilken did rule that the NCAA would be able to put a cap on the money paid to athletes, but no less than $5,000 a year for major football and basketball players.
This is a huge win for the college athletes that generate hundreds of millions of dollars for their respective institution without monetary compensation. Maybe this is the beginning of the end of the NCAA’s antiquated system of indentured servitude. No longer should they be able to hide under the umbrella of “amateurism.”