Supreme Court To Hear Case On Whether NCAA Athletes Should Be Paid
The U.S. Supreme Court is slated to hear a landmark antitrust case against the National Collegiate Athletic Association over compensation for its athletes.
On Wednesday (December 16), the high court said it will hear final appeals filed by the NCAA and one of its member conferences over a May decision that found the group’s limits on player pay violate antitrust law.
The NCAA accused the lower courts of “judicial micromanagement in its petition to the justices and said their rulings would fundamentally transform college sports by blurring “the traditional line between college and professional athletes.”
“We are pleased the U.S. Supreme Court will review the NCAA’s right to provide student-athletes with the educational benefits they need to succeed in school and beyond,” Donald Remy, the NCAA’s chief legal officer, said in a statement, according to Politico. “The NCAA and its members continue to believe that college campuses should be able to improve the student-athlete experience without facing never-ending litigation regarding these changes.”
In August, the Supreme Court declined to pause the earlier court rulings while the NCAA’s petition was under review.
A collective of current and former college athletes challenged the NCAA rules that prohibit athletes from accepting money or other forms of compensation. A federal judge found the restrictions anti-competitive following a 2019 trial and said the NCAA must allow colleges to offer student athletes education-related benefits, including study abroad opportunities, computers and/or graduate school scholarships.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit affirmed that decision.
