The NCAA keeps taking legal Ls.
Sure, there are periodic wins in court. For the most part, the national umbrella for collegiate antitrust violations has been crumbling in recent years.
The latest development came on Friday, via Pete Thamel of ESPN, when the Mississippi Supreme Court denied the NCAA’s petition to appeal the ruling that gave Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss another year of eligibility.
Before addressing the merits of the case, the Mississippi Supreme Court had to agree to take the case. It declined to do so.
In February, Chambliss secured an injunction allowing him to participate in the 2026 season. The judge found that the NCAA ignored medical documentation that showed Chambliss was not ready to play during his time at Ferris State.
The NCAA will inevitably grumble about the fact that it’s required to deal with a patchwork of state laws, which can result in inconsistent rulings — especially when those cases are filed with state-court judges who were elected by people in the states where the universities are located. It’s part of the effort to get the federal government to wave a magic wand that would provide an antitrust exemption allowing the many different independent businesses (the schools) from coming together to control their “non-employee” work force with rules regarding compensation and mobility.
Meanwhile, the coaches at those same schools can do whatever they want, whenever they want — ditching their current program for a bigger bag at another one. Even before the season is over, as Ole Miss learned last season.
The biggest problem with a potential federal solution is that the players aren’t properly represented. Especially if the executive branch follows through on its threat/promise to issue an order that may ultimately have plenty of bark but no legal bite.
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