NCAA lawsuits overview:
- Who: Reggie Bush, a former USC running back; the heirs of a late former UCLA football player; and a current member of the Grambling State University women’s basketball team filed complaints in August against the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
- Why: The lawsuits, including two class action lawsuits, involve claims of discrimination, defamation and an alleged failure to protect student athletes.
- Where: The lawsuits were filed in courts in California and Indiana.
A trio of complaints, including a pair of class action lawsuits, were filed in August against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) over claims of discrimination, defamation and an alleged failure to protect athletes.
Also in August, the NCAA Division I Board directed its council to come up with ways to assist student athletes who are confused about the process of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) contracts.
NCAA, Pac-12 conference failed to protect players with head injuries, class action says
Family members of a deceased former University of Southern California (UCLA) football player filed a class action lawsuit against the NCAA and the Pac-12 athletic conference in August over claims they failed to protect the student athletes.
Plaintiffs Jeannie Griggs and Jasmine Patterson, as heirs of former defensive line back Mark Gustafson, argue the Pac-12 and NCAA knew returning to the field after suffering a head injury was dangerous but did nothing to stop it.
Griggs and Patterson claim repeated hits to the head were to blame for Gustafson developing dementia, chronic traumatic encephalopathy and other issues, which they allege contributed to his death in 2021.
“Despite possessing a wealth of scientific literature and research that articulated the dangers of TBIs, defendants failed to enact policies and procedures to protect Mark Gustafson and other UCLA football players,” the NCAA class action states.
Griggs and Patterson want to represent a class of all individuals who participated in the varsity football program at UCLA from 1966 to 2010.
NCAA discriminates against Black athletes, teams from HBCUs, class action says
A class action lawsuit filed against the NCAA in August claims the association discriminates against its Black student athletes and teams from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with so-called academic reform programs.
Plaintiff Brenda McKinney, a current member of Grambling State University women’s basketball team, argues the NCAA knew metrics in its new Academic Performance Program (APP) would lead to discrimination against Black athletes at HBCUs.
McKinney argues the NCAA designed the APP to penalize NCAA teams that failed to meet or exceed a point scale based on team members’ academic performance, among other indicators.
“The NCAA’s design and implementation of the APP perpetuates a system that punishes Black student athletes at HBCUs because of the HBCUs’ unique and historical role in the education of Black people within the systemic vestiges of discrimination,” the NCAA class action states.
McKinney wants to represent a nationwide class of all current Black student athletes at HBCUs that participate in Division 1 athletics during the academic year 2022-2023.
Reggie Bush claims NCAA alleged involvement in ‘pay-for-play’ scheme
Reggie Bush, a former University of Southern California (USC) running back, filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in August over claims the organization attacked his character when declaring he would not be given his Heisman trophy back.
Bush voluntarily returned his Heisman trophy in 2010 amidst reporting that the Heisman Trophy Trust planned to strip him of his 2005 award over claims he violated the NCAA’s improper benefits rules, Pro Football Network reports.
Bush maintains he was never paid to play while at USC and argues that, while the NCAA was aware he was alleged to have taken money from a sports marketing agency, he was never accused of taking money from the university.
“Even if the investigation’s findings are taken as true (which they are not), they do not support NCAA’s false statement that Mr. Bush accepted payment in return for agreeing to play football at USC,” the lawsuit states.
NCAA directs council to help student athletes navigate NIL contracts
The NCAA Division I Board directed its council to discover how to help student athletes who are confused with navigating NIL contracts.
The board made the direction after a working group of 10 Division I student athletes and 24 administrators determined student athletes may have difficulty understanding the contracts.
“We heard loud and clear that student athletes are not always certain about what to look for in NIL contracts, and we hope to establish clear rules that help student athletes navigate these deals to better — and more safely — capitalize on their NIL potential,” Lynda Tealer, chair of the Division I Council and the working group, says in a statement.
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