Former Kansas Chalmers, Collins File Class Action Lawsuit Against NCAA, Others Over March Madness

NEW YORK (AP) — Kansas stars Mario Chalmers and Sherron Collins are among 16 former college basketball players who have sued the NCAA and multiple conferences, alleging they profited from the unauthorized use of their names, images and likenesses to promote and monetize the March Madness tournament.

Chalmers hit a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left to force overtime in the 2008 national championship game against Memphis en route to the title. The lawsuit claims that the NCAA and Turner Sports Interactive — another defendant — profited from replaying Chalmers’ shot without paying him.

The Big East, Pac-12, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and ACC are also defendants in the class action lawsuit, filed Monday in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York.

“The NCAA conspired with conferences, colleges, licensing companies and apparel companies to price student-athletes’ labor at near zero and turn them into unwitting and unpaid lifetime representatives of the NCAA,” the lawsuit reads.

The lawsuit says the March Madness games generate nearly $1 billion in annual revenue for the NCAA, but none of that money goes to the plaintiffs, who are seeking unspecified damages.

“The NCAA’s unlawful conduct harmed Plaintiffs by diminishing their opportunity to maximize damages for their publicity rights, including rights related to the NCAA’s most profitable revenue stream, basketball,” the lawsuit reads. “The full amount of these damages is currently unknown and continues to grow as the NCAA and its affiliates and co-conspirators continue to profit from the NCAA’s ongoing, uninterrupted seizure of Plaintiffs’ and Class Members’ publicity rights.”

An NCAA spokesman declined to comment Wednesday. The organization is already facing multiple federal lawsuits challenging its long-standing amateur model, and the case comes amid drastic changes that have paved the way for athlete compensation.

The NCAA’s 2021 decision to allow athletes to earn money from endorsements opened the door to millions of dollars in spending that, among other things, changed how schools and donor-backed initiatives market recruits. In May, the NCAA and the nation’s five largest conferences agreed to pay nearly $2.8 billion to resolve a series of antitrust claimswhich forms the basis of a revenue-sharing model that will see millions of dollars go directly to athletes next year.

The other plaintiffs are Ryan Boatright (Connecticut), AJ Bramlett, Eugene Edgerson and Jason Terry (Arizona), James Cunningham (Arizona State and Tulsa), Alex Oriakhi (Connecticut and Missouri) and Matt Pressey (Missouri).

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