Larry Scott, Jim Delany, Ed O'Bannon and the future of college sports
Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott and Big Ten commish Jim Delany will gather in San Francisco on Wednesday to talk college football.
First at a press conference, then during a Q&A at the Commonwealth Club (tickets are available for non-members/Ted Robinson moderating!), the two power brokers will discuss the leagues' partnership in the Dec. 30 bowl game at Levi's Stadium and the issues facing college football.
Which makes this a good time to review the state of affairs …
*** One of those issues if the Ed O'Bannon lawsuit, which is scheduled for trial June 9 in Oakland.
If you haven't followed the latest developments, know this:
The plaintiffs have dropped their request for individual claims, which means a jury trial is unlikely – the whole shebang will be decided by U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken, who thus far has ruled against the NCAA in procedural matters.
Then again, the NCAA would assuredly appeal to the 9th Circuit … and potentially all the way to the Supreme Court. Practical implication of an O'Bannon victory — nobody knows what that would entail, by the way — could be years away.
*** It's easy to get confused by all the litigation facing the NCAA these days. Suing the association is as popular as taking a selfie.
The O'Bannon lawsuit … while it would forever alter the financial model for college sports … might not be the most serious threat to the system's very existence.
That role, one could argue, belongs to a suit filed in New Jersey federal court by renown attorney Jeffrey Kessler on behalf of Clemson DB Martin Jenkins and others (it's a class action suit).
Kessler wants to detonate the system, creating a free market for recruits and players so that a star running back, for instance, could weigh $50,000 offers from a handful of powerhouse schools (in addition to his scholarship).
*** Far down the list of threats is the issue that has gotten more publicity than any except the O'Bannon case: The unionization movement at Northwestern.
Because the NLRB doesn't have authority over state schools, the potential impact is limited for the near and intermediate-term.
That doesn't mean the union movement is irrelevant. Far from: It has undoubtedly served to expedite the implementation of stipends and improved medical services in the power conferences.
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