Benjamin Tulis, left, and Gregg E. Clifton, right, of Jackson Lewis P.C. Courtesy photos
The rights of college student-athletes to receive compensation for the use of their “name, image and likeness” (NIL) are finally being addressed.
As with most employment-related laws, the legal authority for protecting a college athlete’s NIL rights can be traced to California. In 2014, former UCLA Basketball star Ed O’Bannon filed a class action in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of college athletes alleging the NCAA and its colleges were violating antitrust laws by profiting off the NIL of college athletes without compensating the student-athletes for the unauthorized use.
