Four ex-Michigan players, including former quarterback Denard Robinson and wide receiver Braylon Edwards, have filed a class action lawsuit against the NCAA and Big Ten Network seeking more than $50 million for being “wrongfully and unlawfully denied” the opportunity to earn money off their name, image and likeness.
The lawsuit says the NCAA and Big Ten Network “have systematically exploited these iconic moments” that the players created during their careers at Michigan. The lawsuit is on behalf of those who played for Michigan before 2016.
Only since 2021 have college athletes been able to profit off NIL.
The NCAA declined comment on the lawsuit.
In May, the NCAA, its power conferences and attorneys representing Division I athletes agreed to settle three major antitrust lawsuits that threatened to upend the business model of college sports. The defendants agreed to pay roughly $2.7 billion in damages.
Any Division I athlete who played a sport from 2016 to present day is eligible for past damages. The 2016 cutoff is due to the statute of limitations on the initial House v. NCAA lawsuit, which was filed in 2020.