While many Americans this week will be glued to their TVs cheering on their favorite teams and bemoaning unfortunate upsets (Ohio State I’m looking at you), some will be watching the NCAA for a completely different reason. This Monday, sports labor attorney Jeffrey Kessler filed an antitrust claim in a New Jersey federal court alleging that the NCAA is an “unlawful cartel” that has illegally capped the earning capacity of football and men’s basketball players while profiting from their labor.
The lawsuit names as defendants the NCAA as well as the five largest conferences: the Southeastern Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Pac-12, Big Ten and Big 12. The players listed as plaintiffs include Clemson defensive back Martin Jenkins, Rutgers basketball player J.J. Moore, UTEP tight end Kevin Perry and Cal tight end Bill Tyndall.