University of Tennessee chancellor Donde Plowman was lauded by fans of Tennessee – as well as those who loathe the NCAA from around the country – for her spirited letter to NCAA president Charlie Baker that made its rounds on Tuesday.
As it turns out, that was the small tip of a very big iceberg waiting just under the surface.
Tennessee and Virginia file suit
Tennessee attorney general Jonathan Skrmetti filed a complaint against the NCAA on behalf of the state of Tennessee in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee on Wednesday morning. The commonwealth of Virginia also joined in the filing as a co-Plaintiff.
The 20-page complaint takes aim at the one thing that could be the most damning for the NCAA: enforcement of NIL-related restrictions on inducements to attend schools through recruiting and transfers.
Taking a Supreme Court case to a new level
The complaint contains numerous references to the NCAA vs. Alston decision by the United States Supreme Court from 2021. That case dealt with a challenge by student athletes to the NCAA for violations of United States antitrust law – the Sherman Act – for restrictions on student-athlete benefits and compensation. The Supreme Court upheld the lower court’s ruling in that the NCAA’s regulations limiting education-related benefits were violations of the Sherman Act. The ruling did not address non-education related compensation.