In news that will come as a surprise to none, the NCAA has issued a statement confirming it will appeal last week’s landmark court ruling in the O’Bannon lawsuit.
“We remain confident that the NCAA has not violated the antitrust laws and intend to appeal,” a statement from Donald Remy, NCAA chief legal officer says. “We will also be seeking clarity from the District Court on some details of its ruling.”
On Friday a federal judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in the antitrust lawsuit headed by former UCLA basketball player Ed O’Bannon. The court issued an injunction to prevent the NCAA “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.”
Many seem to feel the NCAA may have lost the overall ruling but got away with a relatively light punishment that would not doom the organization and ruin it. The NCAA, though, is not ready to take its lumps and continue moving forward.
“It should be noted that the Court supported several of the NCAA’s positions, and we share a commitment to better support student-athletes,” Remy’s statement continues. “Further, the Court rejected the plaintiffs’ claims that the NCAA licensed student-athletes’ names, images and likenesses to EA Sports or anyone else. It also rejected the plaintiffs’ proposed model where athletes could directly market their names, images and likenesses while in college.”
So the O’Bannon lawsuit will continue, which was expected all along in the event the NCAA lost in the court.