NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — For now, the University of Tennessee will be less encumbered by NCAA recruitment rules for awhile, according to a federal court ruling on Friday.
The University of Tennessee has been in a legal battle with the NCAA name and likeness rules when it comes to NIL recruiting. NIL stands for name, image and likeness. For decades, college athletes could only be paid in scholarships and cheers from the crowd. Now, players can sign lucrative NIL deals with companies and other groups to compensate them for their notoriety.
“The court’s grant of a preliminary injunction against the NCAA’s illegal NIL-recruitment ban ensures the rights of student-athletes will be protected for the duration of this case, but the bigger fight continues,” Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said in a statement. “We will litigate this case to the fullest extent necessary to ensure the NCAA’s monopoly cannot continue to harm Tennessee student-athletes. The NCAA is not above the law, and the law is on our side.”
Right now, if you're a student-athlete, you have to commit to a school before you can negotiate an NIL deal. Skrmetti thinks that's wrong.
Tennessee will remain under this injunction until the next court order.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
