College Athletes With the Courage to Change Everything
+ Meet the Athlete Lead Plaintiffs of the Antitrust Cases Being Settled
This month, Senior District Judge Claudia Wilken is expected to receive and review the settlement of the major antitrust cases against the NCAA (House, Hubbard, and Carter), ushering in a new era in college athletics. The settlement resulted from a vote this past May, in which the NCAA and Power 5 conferences agreed to settle pending lawsuits that seek billions in damages for current and former college athletes who could not profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL) rights before 2021. The Athlete lead plaintiffs are represented by powerhouse Co-Lead Attorneys Steve Berman (Hagens Berman) and Jeffrey Kessler (Winston & Strawn). Read the Athlete Bureau’s Analysis of the multi-billion dollar settlement and why it is a historic win for athletes.
House v. NCAA
The settlement’s multiple related lawsuits threatened the NCAA’s longtime approach to college athletics, which prevented schools from paying athletes, and the pre-2021 limitations to athletes profiting from their name, image and likeness. The House case’s filing — led by former Arizona State University swimmer Grant House, Texas Christian University basketball player Sedona Prince and former University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign football player Tymir Oliver — was a major first step toward this settlement.
“[House v. NCAA] means that we can finally get paid for our hard work and dedication and that we can have more freedom and autonomy over our own lives,” House said in an interview with The Athlete’s Bureau. “It means that we can pursue our passions and interests beyond sports and that we can use our platforms to make a positive impact on the world.”
Hubbard v. NCAA
Another lawsuit filed by former Oklahoma State, current Carolina Panthers, football player Chuba Hubbard, had a potential $900 million in damages to a class-action lawsuit seeking academic achievement payments to athletes dating back to 2018. It is currently being settled along with the House case, and other plaintiffs include former Auburn University track and field athlete Keira McCarrell.
Hubbard’s filing followed a previous ruling involving former West Virginia University football player Shawne Alston — held up by the Supreme Court — which prevented the NCAA from limiting education-related compensation athletes can receive from their schools.
Carter v. NCAA
Prince was also a plaintiff in a lawsuit filed in December 2023, which included former Duke University, current Buffalo Bills, football player DeWayne Carter and Stanford University soccer player Nya Harrison. The lawsuit against the NCAA and its five most powerful conferences claims that rules prohibiting schools from paying their athletes violate antitrust law.
Harrison is a founding member of the Voice in Sport advocacy team, alongside her role as a lead plaintiff in the lawsuit against the NCAA — which was recently settled. George Floyd’s murder “sparked” Harrison’s interest in advocacy.
In a recent interview on the TAB Podcast Harrison said, “The NCAA, as an entity, should not have control over whether or not (colleges) compensate their players,” Harrison said, referring to the recent settlement of the lawsuit. “(Athletes) are finally getting that money back.”
Despite the settlement, Harrison maintains that the movement for athlete rights must continue. In addition to representing college athletes in the courts, Harrison has also worked with Voice in Sport, a female athlete advocacy group, to work to get pro-athlete legislation passed in Congress. Harrison recently endorsed the Fair Play for Women Act introduced by U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).
“As it stands now, there is technically not any punishment for an institution not being Title IX compliant,” Harrison said. “So the Fair Play for Women’s Act would essentially be enforcing that, to just make sure Title IX is equitable across the board for all institution.”
Following the settlement and previous legislation, including a Virginia law that allows colleges to directly pay their athletes for NIL, conversations are shifting to revenue sharing and new forms of governance.
College Athlete Economic Freedom Act
The College Athlete Economic Freedom Act, a bill reintroduced by Rep. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.-03) and Murphy, has been endorsed by athletes including TABPublisher Chase Griffin and former Cornell University, current Syracuse University, volleyball player Sydney Moore.
Moore endorsed the Act, citing NIL protections, which, according to her, benefit all college athletes, and expand the rights that college athletes have to match those that non-athlete students already have.
The act was originally introduced by Trahan and Murphy months before the NCAA’s interim NIL policy was established. It seeks to “establish an unrestricted federal right for college athletes and prospective college athletes to market the use of their name, image and likeness,” among other rights for college athletes.
Meet The Athlete Lead Plaintiffs
Grant House, (House v. NCAA), Arizona State University Swim: Former Arizona State University swimmer Grant House is one of three lead plaintiffs in the House v. NCAA case. After earning his bachelor of science in exercise physiology as an honors student at the ASU College of Health Solutions in 2022, House earned a master of laws at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. Watch the TAB Podcast Interview with Grant House
Sedona Prince, (House v. NCAA, Carter v. NCAA), Texas Christian University Basketball: Current Texas Christian University basketball player Sedona Prince is one of three lead plaintiffs in the House v. NCAA case and the Carter v. NCAA case. She previously played for the University of Oregon and the University of Texas at Austin, earning a NIL Female Athlete of the Year award in 2020.
Tymir Oliver, (House v. NCAA), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Football: Former University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign football player Tymir Oliver is one of three lead plaintiffs in the House v. NCAA case. He played four seasons for the Fighting Illini between 2016 and 2019.
Chuba Hubbard, (Hubbard v. NCAA), Oklahoma State University Football: Former Oklahoma State University football player Chuba Hubbard’s lawsuit against the NCAA is being settled alongside the House v. NCAA case. Hubbard played at OSU until his redshirt junior season, later declaring for the NFL draft in 2021. He is currently a running back for the Carolina Panthers.
Keira McCarrell, (Hubbard v. NCAA), Auburn University Track: Former Auburn University track runner Kiera McCarrell’s lawsuit against the NCAA is being settled alongside the House v. NCAA case. McCarrell ran at Auburn until 2022, and threw javelin in eight meets that season, posting a personal record and the fifth-best throw in school history in the event. She graduated from Auburn in May with a master's degree in kinesiology and exercise science after receiving a bachelor’s in 2022 in speech language and hearing sciences.
DeWayne Carter, (Carter v. NCAA), Duke University Football: Former Duke University football player DeWayne Carter’s lawsuit against the NCAA is being settled alongside the House v. NCAA case. Carter currently plays as a defensive tackle for the Buffalo Bills following four seasons as a captain for the Blue Devils.
Nya Harrison, (Carter, Harrison, Prince v. NCAA), Stanford University Soccer: Current Stanford University soccer player Nya Harrison’s lawsuit against the NCAA is being settled alongside the House v. NCAA case. Harrison, a senior at Stanford studying bioengineering and defending Pac-12 champion, will play her fourth year on the team this fall. Watch the TAB Podcast interview with Nya Harrison.
 | A guest post by
|
Great piece explaining the cases and highlighting these brave, young people who are leading the charge! Love the photos and bios.