Dartmouth Union Update, NCAA Accountability Act, House v. NCAA , + ICYMI & More | NIL Newsletter #185
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Major News
Dartmouth Basketball Players Explain Decision to Unionize
On Monday, Dartmouth’s Romeo Myrthil (above) and Cade Haskins authored an Op-ed further explaining the basketball team’s decision to unionize.
They focused heavily on transformative rulings and memos which have changed the college sports landscape in recent years, such as NCAA v. Alston and the 2021 memorandum from NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo.
“While we currently receive many forms of non-traditional compensation, these don’t pay our bills, and so we are unionizing to be compensated like other student employees, with hourly wages similar to other student wages on campus or scholarships.”
“[S]everal of our players have suffered serious injuries during practices or games and needed to pay substantial amounts of money out of pocket to cover their health insurance deductibles. We believe Dartmouth should be held responsible for those costs and any long-term disabilities that may arise from our participation in Dartmouth sports.”
The full opinion is available HERE.
US Representatives Re-introduce NCAA Accountability Act
Representatives Burgess Owens, David Kustoff, and Josh Harder re-introduced the NCAA Accountability Act, which seeks to establish due process protections for universities and individuals being investigated by the NCAA.
The bill would require the NCAA to provide fair notice to those being investigated, complete an investigation within a year of beginning, and submit an annual report to the Department of Justice.
“The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has consistently wielded unchecked authority, exploitative behavior, and unfair disciplinary power over America’s student-athletes, coaches, and universities, violating their right to due process,” said Representative Owens.
The full bill is available HERE.
Judge in House v. NCAA Grants Class-Action Status
On Friday, Judge Wilken granted class-action status to the injunctive class of the House v. NCAA lawsuit.
Attorney’s for both sides issued statements on the ruling:
"We're now poised to get the rules stricken that prevent conferences and schools from making NIL payments," said Steve Berman, one of the lead attorneys for the plaintiffs. "That's going to be huge for these athletes."
The NCAA said: “We expected the order and look forward to defending our rules in court as part of our continued focus on student-athletes.”
The full article is available HERE.
For Athletes
Deal of the Week
The entire Minnesota Women’s Soccer team signed deals with Darryl Isaacs of Isaacs & Isaacs Personal Injury Lawyers, a Louisville-based firm.
The deal is the first-ever teamwide deal at Minnesota for any sport and was facilitated by Dinkytown Athletes, the Minnesota-focused collective.
ICYMI
The Iowa Swarm Collective announced that they are offering NIL opportunities for all 22 Iowa sports. LINK
Texas A&M announced that Texas Aggies United is their first official NIL partner. LINK
Yale AD Vicky Chun estimated that only 20% of Yale athletes are profiting from their NIL. LINK
Senator Ted Cruz believed Congress has a 60% chance to pass some sort of NIL legislation. LINK
Have you checked out OSC’s website?
Head to www.OptimumSportsConsulting.com to find important resources and features relating to all things NIL. These resources include State by State Resources for Admins, Agents and Athletes, including our initial “OSC Summaries” for over a dozen states coming soon.
More to come too, including links to helpful state information- agency laws and information about school policies, as well as seminar/congressional notes, worksheets, and much more!