Denard Robinson and Braylon Edwards, along with other former Michigan football players, are suing the NCAA and the Big Ten Network.
They claim they missed out on over $50 million during their college careers because of the association’s former ban on paying athletes for their name, image, and likeness.
The federal class-action lawsuit, filed on Monday in the Eastern District of Michigan, represents all Michigan football players who were active before 2016. It also includes former players Mike Martin and Shawn Crable.
The NCAA and major college conferences are trying to resolve three antitrust lawsuits about athlete compensation for name, image, and likeness. They have agreed to pay $2.78 billion in damages to many college athletes, dating back to 2016.
In 2021, the NCAA changed its rules to allow athletes to earn money from sponsorships and endorsements after years of prohibiting it.
Last week, a federal judge overseeing these cases did not approve the settlement and sent it back to the attorneys for revisions.
Additionally, a new lawsuit was filed against the NCAA challenging the settlement agreement. The South Dakota attorney general’s complaint, representing South Dakota State and the University of South Dakota, argues that the proposed settlement unfairly burdens smaller schools with too much of the cost.
The Michigan lawsuit seeks to recover what stars like Robinson and Edwards lost while they played and argues that players should be compensated for the highlights and replays of their performances that are still shown on television.
