NCAA looks to Supreme Court for right to limit education benefits for student athletes
After a federal judge ruled that the NCAA can’t limit educational benefits for student athletes, the organization is looking to the nation’s highest court.
The NCAA filed a petition with the United States Supreme Court on Wednesday to temporarily halt a decision allowing schools to provide unlimited educational benefits, indicating intent to file a formal appeal to reverse the ruling permanently, ESPN reports.
NCAA wants limits on laptops, other educational tools
Benefits under the ruling include laptops, science equipment and potential monetary incentives for good grades.
Federal judge Judge Claudia Wilken ruled in 2019 that NCAA restrictions on what schools can provide athletes violated antitrust laws. That ruling deemed that schools can provide unlimited benefits as along as they’re linked to education. The ruling was a victory for former West Virginia running back Shawne Alston, who sued the NCAA in 2014.
The NCAA lost an appeal of the ruling earlier in 2020 and is now looking to the Supreme Court. It’s not clear if the court will hear the case.
Attorney for the plaintiffs Jeffrey Kessler told ESPN he believes the NCAA is fighting a losing battle.
“I think they're trying to put off the inevitable,” Kessler said. “They keep losing, and they keep trying to prevent athletes from getting these benefits. Sooner or later the athletes will get these benefits and the world will move forward. They need to accept that reality.”
The NCAA runs a billion-dollar industry that depends on unpaid athletes for revenue. It did not respond to ESPN’s request for comment on the filing.
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