NCAA requests extension to petition Supreme Court in Ed O’Bannon case
The NCAA requested an extension Wednesday to petition the Supreme Court in the Ed O’Bannon case, reports CBS Sports’ Jon Solomon.
The 30-day extension was asked for ahead of the March 15 petition deadline in the case dealing with whether football and men’s basketball players should be paid for the use of their names, images and likenesses.
“The NCAA has requested a 30-day extension to file a petition for review of the O’Bannon case with the United States Supreme Court,” said NCAA chief legal counsel Donald Remy in a statement. “During this time, we will continue to assess our legal options, including preparing for the possibility that plaintiffs will seek further review. We continue to maintain that the NCAA operates well within antitrust laws, but we also agree with the [Ninth] U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ recognition that benefits to student-athletes should be tethered to higher education.”
• Next steps in O'Bannon case: Both NCAA and the plaintiffs could appeal
In September, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed O’Bannon’s claims that various NCAA amateurism rules breach federal antitrust law. The court, however, discarded the 2014 decision of U.S. District Court Judge Claudia Wilken to require schools to pay Division I football and men’s basketball players up to $5,000 a year for name, image and likeness rights.
As of now, the NCAA’s highest form of payment to its athletes is the cost of attendance stipends it offers.
