On Monday, July 13, a group of ten former student athletes filed a notice of appeal with the Sixth Circuit regarding their publicity rights’ claims. Ultimately, this effort fits into the much larger battle of whether student athletes should receive compensation for their participation in sporting events.
The former college athletes are disputing U.S. District Judge Kevin Sharp’s dismissal of their claims on grounds that they failed to sufficiently back their arguments that they deserve compensation under Tennessee law. The plaintiffs are seeking to prove that several groups have profited from the unauthorized use of their names and likenesses.
The suit began in October, when the former student athletes alleged that major television networks, college athletic conferences, and other licensing groups conspired to create a “plantation type arrangement” that brought in billions of dollars, none of which the athletes ever received. The plaintiffs also attacked the NCAA’s amateurism rules, describing them as anti-competitive agreements, though the NCAA itself was not named as a defendant in this suit.