Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby is taking a big gamble by suing the NCAA. He demands eligibility despite admitting to betting on his team (a cardinal sin in sports), and by suing, he's opened the door to the NCAA sharing bad info that could damage his standing with NFL teams.

The Protect College Sports Act, sponsored by U.S. Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell, is the latest try in Congress to reform college sports. It would do a lot that appeals to many and avoids mistakes of other bills, like try to sack college athlete employment. But it will face hurdles:

The U.S. Supreme Court has taken up former Georgia Tech women's hoops coach MaChelle Joseph’s lawsuit. She argues a coach can use Title IX in employment litigation when her ability to do her job is harmed by inferior treatment of her team. This is a case colleges should pay close attention to.

The U.S. Supreme Court denies the NFL's petition to review Brian Flores race-based employment discrimination case, though Justice Brett Kavanaugh wanted to review it. Key to the case is whether a league commissioner can serve as an arbitrator. My @sportico.bsky.social take on what this all means:

Brendan Sorsby is suing the NCAA, being sued by the University of Cincinnati and could sue the NFL if he's denied a supplemental draft opportunity (he'd probably lose that but could sue). In a new @sportico.bsky.social column, I break down these three threads which mix NIL, gambling and antitrust:

As the SCORE Act is punted yet again, I propose a different solution for college athletics: How about colleges follow NCAA rules? No fake NIL. No incentivizing lawsuits to extend eligibility for many years. No bill in Congress can cure the underlying problem. My @sportico.bsky.social column:

Excited to share that as of last week, I have officially graduated from the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law with my Juris Doctor.

The NAACP, taking a page from @joelanderson.bsky.social, is calling for Black athletes (and fans) to transfer from and withhold support for programs in states actively trying to remove Black political representation: naacp.org/articles/naa...

Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby sues the NCAA in a case that blends NIL, sports betting, addiction and eligibility. It's a sports law bonanza for the 2020s. My @sportico.bsky.social legal take: www.sportico.com/law/analysis....

What an amazing commencement at UNH Law today! We celebrated our incredible graduates and their super supportive families! You did it!

Look forward to seeing you tomorrow @mccannsportslaw.bsky.social

The College Sports Commission lands a win with an arbitrator upholding CSC's rejection of NIL deals for Nebraska football players. The players can now turn to the courts, which would be a major development in the NIL world. My @sportico.bsky.social legal column: www.sportico.com/law/analysis....

The NCAA House settlement is suddenly unsettled as the two sides file dueling briefs over how to interpret what the settlement language says and, just as importantly, doesn’t say. The marketplace for NIL deals is at stake. My @sportico.bsky.social legal column: www.sportico.com/law/analysis....

Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby is in treatment for gambling addiction—and at the center of a lawsuit that could blow up how NIL really works. University of Cincinnati says he owes $1M for breaking his deal. He says it wasn’t “NIL” at all, but pay-for-play and the deal was an employment contract:

New NCAA eligibility rules won't stop eligibility lawsuits, since the same issue remains: an athlete deemed ineligible on account of having been in college sports too long contends they are in a sports labor market where they sell athletic services to schools in exchange (1/4)

President Trump has shown a willingness to pull federal money from colleges that fail to comply with his preferred policies. He could do that with schools that don't follow his preferred college sports policies, including on name, image and likeness. Now that would change college sports:

Had a fantastic time guest lecturing in the Sports Law class at Plymouth State University today. We discussed contract drafting, endorsement deals/NIL, and sports industry career paths. Major thank you to Professor Chantalle R. Forgues for the opportunity to come speak with your bright students.

Apple will never get a better ad than this.

I'm going to go ahead and say that using AI isn't going to make you a clutch shooter.

Flau'jae's reaction

That's Mike Leach's alma mater! That's where he got his coaching degree. It was called United States Sports Academy until March 1, 2025.

Also, some people were asking about what kind of degree you can get there.

Wait United States Sports University didn’t have intercollegiate sports until 2024?

As the NCAA weighs new eligibility rules and President Trump pushes for a 5-year limit, multiple federal courts of appeals have issued rulings on NCAA eligibility antitrust cases. That could open the door for the U.S. Supreme Court. I have details + analysis in a new @sportico.bsky.social column:

If you're into in sports prediction markets, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit's ruling this week for Kalshi is a game-changer. It raises odds of U.S. Supreme Court taking up whether states can use gambling laws to regulate prediction markets. My @sportico.bsky.social legal column:

The NCAA is considering new eligibility rules that would impact pre-college players & pro draft participation. Expect antitrust litigation should those rules go into effect. I look at potential legal fallout in my weekly @sportico.bsky.social sports law column: www.sportico.com/law/analysis....

President Trump’s new executive order on college sports says a lot, but I’m not sure it will do a lot—and if it does, it could be challenged in court. For @sportico.bsky.social, @soshnick.bsky.social and I analyze the order and detail the role played by U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton:

Fascinating case as a Rutgers University alum who is a New Jersey taxpayer sues the school claiming it is wasting public money on athletics. There are some good sports business points raised, but the case will face hurdles—especially with respect to standing. My @sportico.bsky.social column:

"Is sports betting and prediction market synonymous, or are they sufficiently distinct that there should be different treatment under the law?" - @mccannsportslaw.bsky.social That is the (multi) million dollar question right there.

Is it a good sign or a bad sign for a president when a popular sports figure is denouncing your immigration policies on a widely watched March Madness broadcast?

Powerful column by Paul MacDonald, lead counsel for athletes in Johnson v. NCAA. Paul explains why even if Congress passes, and President signs, legislation to reform college sports, it will be immediately challenged in court—so more lawsuits, not less.This is often overlooked in media coverage IMO.

Jury finds Meta and YouTube liable in landmark social media trial that accused the tech giants of harming a woman's mental health https://cnn.it/47TlGqg

Eight months after Lloyd Howell Jr. stepped down in the face of multiple scandals, the NFLPA has a new leader. Meet the union's new executive director. My story at @sportico.bsky.social: www.sportico.com/leagues/foot...

Welp

Every year, the NCAA distributes hundreds of millions to conferences based on their March Madness success. The specifics are confusing, and widely misunderstood. Two years ago, we made this video to be the definitive explainer on NCAA "units." www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTKa...

Challenges for international students in the revenue share era continue. www.sportico.com/leagues/coll...

Now that the President has held an NCAA roundtable, what next could happen? 1) Expansive antitrust exemption 2) Narrow antitrust exemption 3) Trump executive order 4) Litigation continues 5) College athlete employment + unionization I break down the pros and cons for eachon @sportico.bsky.social:

The President was right about one thing, his executive order seeking to turn back time will be the subject of litigation. He seems to have missed the part thouvh where his own Supreme Court appointees, namely Brett Kavanaugh, have hollowed out the NCAAs legal defenses to the "old way of business".

Generative AI is quickly becoming common. What does this mean for athletes, actors & others whose likenesses are used without consent? Could there be O'Bannon v. NCAA like cases? My @sportico.bsky.social column: we're on the cusp of a new horizon of sports law. www.sportico.com/law/analysis...

Brett Kavanaugh would like a word. www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/20p...

So many people in the sports industry are territorial. Turf battles and big egos often spawn costly litigation. The Green Bay Packers, Grambling State and UGA take a different path with each using a "G" trademark: They smartly negotiated use agreements. www.sportico.com/law/analysis....

President Trump's new college sports reform commission will push Congress for an antitrust exemption. History isn't on the side of Congress going along, and even if it does, it wouldn't stop the push for college athlete employment. @sportico.bsky.social has the details:

holy shit what a scoop www.sportico.com/leagues/coll...

The White House posting a fake AI video of a gold medal athlete would be an insane scandal in the old times. www.nytimes.com/athletic/707...