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Four ex-Michigan Wolverines football players are suing the NCAA and the Big Ten Network for $50 million for what they claim was a conspiracy to deny them Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) opportunities.
Former quarterback Denard Robinson, wide receiver Braylon Edwards, defensive end Michael Martin and linebacker Shawn Crable claim in their lawsuit that had NCAA rules permitted them to sign NIL deals they would have made more than $50 million.
Sportico reports that the four former Wolverines are also seeking to have their lawsuit certified as a class action so that other NCAA football players who played before June 15, 2016 can join them in the suit.
“Numerous former players over the past five decades asked me to file this, and after a lot of research we felt it was absolutely the right thing to do,” said the players’ attorney Jim Acho. “I expect former players from other noted football programs will follow our lead and file similar lawsuits.”
The lawsuit states, according to the Detroit News, that the four players are entitled to “a present and future share of any revenue generated from the use of their publicity rights,” and that the damages they suffered are not limited to lost NIL income.
This includes missed opportunities for media appearances, uncompensated use of likeness in merchandise, revenue from archived footage and highlight reels, loss of future earnings potential, loss of group licensing opportunities, social media influencer marketing opportunities, suppressed earnings from endorsements, long-tail endorsement opportunities, revenue sharing from media rights, and loss of market value for NIL rights.
The lawsuit, which seeks “to right a wrong perpetuated on college athletes for decades,” was filed Tuesday morning in U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan.
“This not a suit against the University of Michigan,” Acho told the Detroit News. “None of the many former players wanted to sue UM and neither did I. It is the NCAA that perpetuated this wrong for decades. They knew it was wrong to prevent players from capitalizing on the most valuable thing they have — their name and image. That has been rectified for current players, but the NCAA needs to correct the wrongs of the past. Today is the day for recompense.”
Saquandra Heath, the NCAA associate director of external communications, when asked about the lawsuit by the Detroit Times, replied that “we do not have a comment at this time.”
“The reason why we’re doing this is because it’s not fair what we had to go through, just like all the other athletes,” Michael Martin told the Detroit News. “The $2.8 billion settlement that recently went through with the cutoff of 2016, that also got me thinking, because it’s like, what about all the eras of guys before 2016?”