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The University of Tennessee is in the midst of a battle with the NCAA over NIL and recruiting practices. The Vols are currently under investigation for supposed infractions, with five-star passer Nico Iamaleava considered a focal point.
Iamaleava is one of a number of athletes across a variety of sports alleged to be included in the probe, and he’s certainly the most notable.
Prior to his landing with the Vols in the 2023 signing class, he was rumored to have received an $8 million NIL deal. That agreement, paired with potential impermissible benefits throughout his recruitment, is now under scrutiny.
“One element of the NCAA’s investigation is a collective using a private jet to fly heralded five-star quarterback recruit Nico Iamaleava to campus during his recruitment. Having a booster group pay for the trip is a violation.” -Pat Forde
While the NCAA cries of wrongdoing, Tennessee is placing the blame on the governing body for not putting clear and concise regulations on those NIL practices.
The school’s chancellor ripped the NCAA in a rebuttal statement, saying, “The NCAA is failing,” in regard to looking after their student-athletes’ best interests.
“Two and a half years of vague and contradictory NCAA memos, emails and ‘guidance’ about NIL have created extraordinary chaos.”
Nico Iamaleava’s NIL attorney agreed.
Tom Mars has become a champion handling legal battles for student-athletes. He forced the NCAA to change their rule on transfer limitations in the early 2010s.
He also helped reverse the Big Ten’s postponement decision amid the COVID-19 pandemic, fighting for players that wanted to play out the season.
Mars has been following this situation closely over the last few days with the battle heading to the courts.
A preliminary injunction was held Tuesday and Tennessee fans showed support.
Somebody has rented a crane to hoist a ‘Power T’ flag outside the federal courthouse.
It’s the NCAA vs. State of Tennessee and Virginia pic.twitter.com/0HrctWrOef
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) February 13, 2024
A massive ‘Power T’ flag flew outside the courthouse as someone brought a lift in overnight and marked the territory. Those confident UT supporters probably felt even better as the day unfolded.
With the Vols denying any wrongdoing on their end, an antitrust lawsuit was filed against the NCAA in both Tennessee and Virginia. That case will focus on the role NIL collectives play in the recruiting process.
A one-hour injunction was held as the parties defend their sides of the argument. A timeline for a ruling is unknown, but some interesting tidbits from the meeting were leaked to the public.
Trey Wallace of Outkick dove into those happenings Tuesday afternoon, with one conversation standing out.
The judge made it a point to talk about players being able to use their leverage when it comes to what NIL opportunities are available.
“They are not being able to use their leverage before signing?” Judge Corker asked an NCAA attorney. While at the same time noting that it sounds as if a player would suffer some type of harm if they were left in the dark regarding NIL opportunities.
“We don’t think there is much harm. Student athletes have ways to compare values of where they should attend schools,” NCAA attorney noted about websites that post valuations on current prospects.
That response came under immediate scrutiny. Is there harm or isn’t there? In a case where you’re trying to show that athletes don’t need collectives to find NIL worth, that seems crucial.
Mars posted the following on X.
“TN v. NCAA: There’s no requirement in federal court that one must show a particular quantum of irreparable harm. ‘Not much [irreparable] harm’ is sufficient to obtain a preliminary injunction. Words matter in court, and this appears to be an admission by the NCAA’s lawyer. Oops.”
Mars also noted the plethora of NCAA lawyers in attendance, counting more than a dozen in the courtroom for the hour-long injunction.
Fun fact: the NCAA brought more lawyers to a one-hour preliminary injunction hearing than convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh brought to a five-week jury trial.
End result predicted to be the same in both cases. 😬 https://t.co/R3R5uUQsvB
— Tom Mars (@TomMarsLaw) February 13, 2024
Each of those attorneys had to walk right by that huge orange flag waving outside the courthouse doors, officially getting introduced to the opponent at hand.
Despite the influx of legal aid, Mars isn’t sure it will result in an NCAA win. He went as far as to say the governing body is “wasting money” as it doesn’t have a “viable defense” in the case.
His view is shared by many who believe the NCAA opened Pandora’s box with NIL introduction and is now trying to punish programs for using that ruling to a recruiting advantage.
The day ended with the judge saying he’ll rule “in short order,” so we should receive a decision soon.