Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has announced a tentative settlement in a lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). The legal action, led by Tennessee and supported by a bipartisan coalition of states, aims to protect the rights of student-athletes.
Attorney General Skrmetti stated, "We’ve been fighting hard to protect Tennessee student-athletes. Last year, we blocked the NCAA’s unlawful enforcement against Tennessee students and schools, and now this settlement in principle lays the groundwork for a permanent solution."
The lawsuit was filed by Skrmetti along with Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and attorneys general from Florida, the District of Columbia, and New York. It challenges the NCAA's NIL Recruiting Ban on grounds that it imposes anticompetitive restrictions violating federal antitrust laws, thus harming both current and future student-athletes. A federal judge had previously sided with these allegations, halting the NCAA's enforcement of its rules during ongoing litigation.
Negotiations between the Attorneys General and the NCAA have resulted in a settlement in principle. This agreement is set to safeguard student-athletes' NIL rights during recruitment while preventing the NCAA from reinstating its NIL Recruiting Ban.