Former NIU Punter Appeals Validity of Transfer Rule to the Seventh Circuit

Peter Deppe, a former punter for Northern Illinois University (NIU), has filed a notice of appeal that challenges an Indiana Federal Court’s dismissal of his antitrust claim regarding the NCAA rule forcing student-athletes who transfer universities to sit out for a year before returning to play for the new school.

As background, Deppe was originally recruited as a walk-on punter by NIU in 2014. Deppe’s complaint alleged that he was redshirted and told by the coaches that he would receive a scholarship and become …

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“No Subs Allowed” — NCAA Responds to Former Footballer’s Proposed Intervention Bid

On Monday, February 9, 2016, the NCAA responded to a former college football player’s bid to intervene as a proposed class representative in an antitrust lawsuit against the association, stating such intervention is unjustified in the pending Indiana federal court action. The response comes nearly two weeks after ex-Weber State University cornerback Devin Pugh filed a motion to replace former Gardner-Webb University quarterback John Rock in the event Rock was found to be an inadequate class member. Rock had filed suit to challenge the number …

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Former Cornerback Seeks Intervention in NCAA Scholarship Suit

On January 22, 2016, Devin Pugh, former Weber State University cornerback and named plaintiff in a punitive class action suit against the NCAA, filed a motion to intervene into a similar suit brought against the NCAA over the leagues limits on scholarships for Division I athletes.

Pugh filed his motion to intervene and join the proposed antitrust suit brought by John Rock over the NCAA’s “artificial” limits on scholarships offered to athletes who compete in Division I football programs. Rock’s suit is grounded on …

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