"Likely violates federal antitrust law": Federal Judge strikes down NCAA NIL rules in landmark ruling in favor of Tennessee and Virginia AG

Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) has been one of the biggest factors in college athletics as it allows student-athletes to make money off the field of play. There are no rules or safeguards governing such rights for student-athletes, and that is something the NCAA has been trying to fix. Unfortunately for the governing body, it will not be happening anytime soon.

The attorneys of Virginia and Tennessee brought a lawsuit before federal judge Clifton Corker, the basis of which was that the NCAA's NIL rights violated federal antitrust law. They claimed that the NCAA was preventing student-athletes from the opportunity to earn full compensation on their own NIL. According to Adam Sparks of the Knoxville News Sentinel, Judge Corker granted a preliminary injunction in the case.

Judge Corker stated that this "likely violates federal antitrust law." He added:

"(W)ithout the give and take of a free market, student-athletes simply have no knowledge of their true NIL value. It is this suppression of negotiating leverage and the consequential lack of knowledge that harms student-athletes."

This is definitely a worst-case scenario for the NCAA as they have been trying to get control of NIL rights since the 2021 Supreme Court ruling opened the potential for NIL compensation. To nobody's surprise, ESPN's Pete Thamel was the one to share the NCAA's statement on the case.

"Turning upside down rules overwhelmingly supported by member schools will aggravate an already-chaotic collegiate environment, further diminishing protections for student-athletes from exploitation. The NCAA fully supports student-athletes making money from their name, image and likeness and is making changes to deliver more benefits to student-athletes but an endless patchwork of state laws and court opinions make clear partnering with Congress is necessary to provide stability for the future of all college athletes." h/t Yahoo Sports

It will be interesting to see how the NIL rules continue to evolve going forward.

Will the NCAA formulate any regulations regarding NIL?

The NCAA's chances of being in control of the NIL situation are looking bleak. Instead, student-athletes could continue to make money with their name, image, and likeness in every way imaginable.

Popular opinion reportedly presses the case for the NCAA to come up with a portal regarding what athletes should be looking for in NIL deals and what to avoid. Some have suggested circulating a list of potential NIL deals, similar to the guidelines for potential scholarships.

It's a new world we are living in and college sports are at the forefront of a revolution.