Athletes’ lawsuit accuses NCAA and Power Four of illegally stripping NIL rights and life-changing income protected by state law.
The National College Players Association (NCPA) responded today after USC football player Talanoa Ili and Stanford football player Charlie Mirer filed a class action lawsuit against the NCAA, the Power Four conferences, the College Sports Commission, and several of their leaders. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of FBS football players and Division I men’s basketball players seeking to protect NIL opportunities they allege were unlawfully restricted despite state laws designed to protect college athletes.
The complaint makes serious allegations. It alleges that the NCAA, Power Four conferences, College Sports Commission, and their leaders knowingly implemented NIL restrictions in California despite knowing those restrictions conflicted with California’s NIL law. It also alleges price fixing, group boycott, civil conspiracy and concert of action, intentional interference with prospective economic advantage, aiding and abetting liability, antitrust violations, and violations of California’s Fair Pay to Play Act. If proven, the allegations would mean that some of the most powerful entities in college sports knowingly worked together to restrict athlete NIL compensation in states that had passed laws to protect it.
In public statements released by plaintiffs’ counsel, the named plaintiffs explained the real-world stakes of the lawsuit. USC football player Talanoa Ili said he is among the many athletes who saw an “amazing NIL opportunity” disappear after the NCAA and Power Four announced NIL rules limiting his ability to benefit from his own NIL rights “even though California state law protects my NIL rights”. Stanford football player Charlie Mirer said that, as a non-scholarship athlete, NIL income helped him afford living at Stanford before “that support evaporated” under the new restrictions. Mirer also warned that many athletes like him have parents who “aren’t rich” and that NIL opportunities can be life-changing by helping provide family stability and covering long-term costs from sports-related injuries. At a time when many young people already feel the “deck is stacked against them,” Mirer said college athletes should not be blocked from lawful opportunities to earn a living.
“This case is about whether college athletes will get a fair chance to earn from their own name, image, and likeness during the very short window they have. I have all the respect in the world for Talanoa and Charlie for standing up for the fair treatment of college athletes,” said Ramogi Huma, Executive Director of the NCPA. “College athletes put their bodies, futures, and families on the line for a multibillion-dollar industry. Coaches and athletic directors are not subject to NCAA or conference compensation caps. Athletes should not be treated as less deserving when they try to earn from their own value.”
According to the complaint, the House settlement did not preempt state NIL laws or require a uniform national cap on NIL compensation. The complaint alleges that NIL restrictions were nevertheless implemented in California and other states with laws protecting college athletes’ NIL rights, reducing opportunities for athletes to receive compensation from schools, collectives, and other NIL partners.
Since 2024, the NCPA has alerted the media, Congress, and college athletes that NIL restrictions permitted by or stemming from the House settlement are unfair and could strip athletes of state-law protections against NCAA and conference restrictions, penalties, or retaliation for lawful NIL compensation
If the athletes prevail, eligible class members could recover damages for NIL compensation they allege they lost, including potential treble damages under antitrust law. The complaint also asks the court for limited future protection for athletes. According to the complaint, the athletes are not trying to cancel the House settlement. They are asking the court to stop NIL restrictions from being enforced in states where those restrictions allegedly violate state law, and to require a fair, legal process that gives athletes a real voice in NIL rules that affect their money and their futures.
NCPA helped co-sponsor California’s first-in-the-nation NIL law and helped usher in 11 other state NIL laws nationwide. The NCPA is a nonprofit advocacy organization with a mission to protect future, current, and former college athletes, and advocates for athletes of all college sports and divisions. NCPA goals include protecting athletes NIL rights, ensuring independent enforcement of safety standards to prevent serious injury, sexual abuse, and death, preventing athletes from being stuck with sports-related medical expenses, and securing educational protections.