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More than 300 ex-Michigan football players join lawsuit against NCAA, Big Ten: report

Hundreds of former Michigan football players are taking the NCAA and the Big Ten to court by joining a notable NIL-related lawsuit.
James Parks|
Michigan vs. the NCAA and the Big Ten
Michigan vs. the NCAA and the Big Ten | Andrew Weber-Imagn Images

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Michigan Wolverines

More than 300 former Michigan football players joined a lawsuit against the NCAA and the Big Ten in September, their attorney told the Detroit Free Press.

The suit alleges that the NCAA, the Big Ten Conference, and the Big Ten Network used the players’ name, image, and likeness without their permission.

Former quarterback Denard Robinson and wide receiver Braylon Edwards initially filed the lawsuit on behalf of former Michigan players who played before the 2016 season.

Now, nearly 340 former players are part of the class-action lawsuit, according to Jim Acho, the attorney representing the Michigan alums.

In the 73-page lawsuit, the group argues that the NCAA and Big Ten Network made significant revenue off their “game-winning plays and electrifying performance.”

In response, the NCAA, the conference, and the network filed a motion to dismiss the suit earlier this month.

“An overwhelming number of players, almost all of whom are financially successful I might add, reached out, wanting to join this lawsuit because they said it was out of principle,” Acho said.

“Money was made off their backs, they were denied the right to use their name and image and everybody knew decades ago it was wrong. It was unlawful. It was unethical. And these men want to make a statement.”

(Detroit Free Press)

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James Parks
JAMES PARKS

James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He has covered football for a decade, previously managing several team sites and publishing national content for 247Sports.com for five years. His work has also been published on CBSSports.com. He founded College Football HQ in 2020, and the site joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022 and the On SI network in 2024.

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