State Settles with NCAA for Student-Athletes

NASHVILLE — Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced that a bipartisan coalition of states led by Tennessee has reached a settlement in principle in its lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA).

“We’ve been fighting hard to protect Tennessee student-athletes,” said Attorney General Skrmetti. “Last year, we blocked the NCAA’s unlawful enforcement against Tennessee students and schools, and now this settlement in principle lays the groundwork for a permanent solution.”

Tennessee Attorney General Skrmetti and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, along with the Florida, District of Columbia, and New York Attorneys General, filed a federal lawsuit against the NCAA alleging that its NIL Recruiting Ban creates anticompetitive restrictions that violate federal antitrust law and harm current and future student-athletes. A federal judge agreed with the States’ allegations and blocked the NCAA’s enforcement of its unlawful rules throughout the duration of this litigation.

The Attorneys General and the NCAA have negotiated a settlement in principle that will protect student-athletes’ NIL rights during the recruiting process and prohibit the NCAA from reviving its NIL Recruiting Ban.