Free for a Fee

Ed O’Bannon, a marketing director for an auto dealership in Las Vegas, may play a pivotal role in forever changing how the NCAA does business. O’Bannon was a star basketball player for UCLA in the mid-1990s, and now he’s at the forefront of a class action antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA for its use of his likeness (and those of other athletes) in NCAA-licensed products, particularly video games. Several related claims by other former NCAA athletes have been added to the class action, including the lawsuit filed by former Nebraska and Arizona State quarterback Sam Keller seeking compensation from the NCAA and EA Sports for using his image in a college football video game. Granted, being the target of litigation is not an unfamiliar position for the NCAA, and it has successfully defended several legal challenges. Following a recent court ruling, however, O’Bannon’s class action is suddenly getting more attention.

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