NCAA Response to Chalmers' Lawsuit, Illinois Pushing for NIL Boost + ICYMI | Newsletter #282

Oct 24, 2024

Today’s Thursday newsletter includes highlights from this week, important news from last week, and what to watch for.

Keep up to date on all of our newsletters and content by checking out past Optimum Sports Consulting Newsletters, and following us on Twitter!

Recapping Major News This Week:

The NCAA Responded to Mario Chalmers’ NIL Lawsuit

The NCAA, six conferences, and Turner Sports responded to an antitrust lawsuit brought by Chalmers and fifteen former college basketball players. The NCAA argued the lawsuit is barred by the passage of time and the limitations of the law.
Chalmers and the other athletes sued in July after a similar lawsuit was filed by former athletes from North Carolina State University.
The plaintiffs’ complaint is that the NCAA, six conferences, and Turner Sports conspired in violation of antitrust law to use their NIL without paying royalties.
The defendants raise several counterarguments, including the fact that the claims are time-barred, have already been litigated, and relying on past precedent to refute the possibility that Chalmers could suffer an antitrust injury when his NIL was used in sports broadcasts.
CLICK HERE to learn more.

The Illinois football team defeated reigning champions, Michigan, last weekend, moving up to 20th in the country.
Head coach Brett Bielema is wasting no time getting the word across to donors about how they can continue to keep the momentum going past the 2024 season.
With the recent success, Coach Bielema knows that if the collectives don’t act now, they may lose out on some of their key players to other schools once the transfer portal window opens up next season.
“We had probably a half a dozen guys on our roster that were offered probably double the amount of money, if not triple the amount of money that was afforded here, and they turn it down because they know what they're being developed to be,” said Bielema.
Consideration for a college football playoff spot would likely bring in plenty of new donors to support the program and make them more competitive in a stacked Big Ten Conference.
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Miami quarterback Cam Ward gifted his teammates customized Bose headphones - LINK
19 University of Iowa band members signed an NIL deal with The Brick Kitchen in Independence - LINK
Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart secures NIL partnership with The Dairy Alliance - LINK
LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne signed an NIL deal with W, a men’s care brand founded by Jake Paul - LINK
The College of Charleston athletic department announced its NIL collective “The Charleston Edge Collective” - LINK

The Pac-12 Conference sued the MWC last week for violating the Sherman Act because of a so-called “poaching penalty” the MWC wants to place on the Pac-12 for taking their schools.
The poaching penalty is in addition to “tens of millions of dollars” in exit fees the MWC is imposing on the schools that drop it for the Pac-12. As a result, the Pac-12 believes that the poaching penalty reflects “exorbitant and punitive monetary fees” that embodies a “duplicative, unnecessary and entirely punitive” measure intended to weaken or even ruin the Pac-12 financially.
Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez has already responded to the suit stating that the Pac-12, an intelligent business partner, willingly accepted the terms that the MWC is imposing when the Pac-12 and MWC reached a deal to schedule football games between MWC schools and Washington State and Oregon State - the Pac-12’s two remaining schools when the contract was created.
CLICK HERE to learn more.

Colorado and Deion Sanders are no stranger to the spotlight. Coach Prime does not shy away from media attention. Despite the sometimes negative media attention, Colorado football excels in NIL deals by leveraging media, branding, and financial opportunities for athletes.
Colorado does not just rely on collectives and traditional methods of fundraising. Colorado has a partnership with SMAC Entertainment, the production company behind Coach Prime's documentary series, which is integral to the schools’ NIL success. Colorado has adopted a media-focused strategy that prioritizes increasing the visibility and marketability of its athletes while also allowing them to get paid directly.
SMAC Entertainment paid nearly $600,000 to Colorado football players for their participation in the series within the span of just six months. This connection has given Colorado’s top athletes a platform to enhance their brands and generate their own significant NIL earnings.
Schools have begun embracing media and content creation as their NIL strategies. Other schools like Arkansas have utilized nostalgia and logos to get fans to donate NIL money. Schools continue to come up with new and creative ways to get the NIL money they need to be competitive in the current college landscape.

Keep up to date on all of our newsletters and content by checking out past Optimum Sports Consulting Newsletters, and following us on Twitter!