Friday Sports Replay

The NFL Players Association’s collusion lawsuit against the NFL grabbed headlines this week. Other stories included Olympic branding and the NHL’s upcoming CBA negotiations.

To keep up throughout the week be sure to follow us on Twitter.
Follow @TulaneSportsLaw 

You can also now like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TulaneSportsLawSociety

NFL

The NFL Players Association filed a collusion lawsuit against the NFL, alleging the league conspired to enforce a secret $123 million salary cap in the uncapped 2010 year. http://es.pn/JqoitA 
You can view the NFLPA’s collusion petition here: http://bit.ly/JUK5vY 
Forbes’s Chris Smith argues that the collusion lawsuit is about public relations and weakening the NFL’s already tainted public image. http://onforb.es/Jy5Zr5 
Andrew Brandt examines the different layers of the collusion case: http://es.pn/MIjMuP 
Michael McCann writes about the obstacles that the NFLPA faces in proving collusion. http://bit.ly/JoCiHq

The NFL Players Association may file a grievance with an arbitrator over a new NFL rule which requires the use of thigh and knee pads beginning in 2013. http://on-msn.com/KOak4L 
Ruling Sports’s Alicia Jessop examines the NFL’s rule change and the NFLPA’s position on it. http://bit.ly/KlHiLQ

Former NFL running back Eric Dickerson joins a growing list of retired players who have filed suit against the NFL over the league’s alleged failure to address concussions. http://bit.ly/JxBBGK

NCAA

Tulane Law alumnus Warren Zola reviews the past year in college sports reform: http://huff.to/JvDUzN

A federal judge refused to dismiss a lawsuit against Electronic Arts alleging that EA conspired to use former NCAA student athletes’ likenesses without compensation. http://bit.ly/K8f8To 
You can see the judge’s order in the EA case here: http://bit.ly/LyflDo

Former UCLA basketball player Reeves Nelson filed a lawsuit against Time Inc., which owns Sports Illustrated, for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress in a Sports Illustrated article on the UCLA program. http://es.pn/MpRXEQ

Could a student-athlete licensing program ever take hold in the NCAA? http://bit.ly/IBLmUy

The Olympics

Olympic organizers are working hard to prevent ambush marketing and protect Olympic sponsors for the upcoming London games. http://fxn.ws/Kjcw65

The U.S. Olympic Committee has reached an agreement with the International Olympic Committee regarding a new revenue-sharing deal expected to run through 2040. http://hrld.us/JwAQiS

Other Major Sports

A Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office is investigating the National Basketball Players Association concerning the use of union funds to support an overthrow of the National Basketball Retired Players Association. http://es.pn/MEPObb

As the expiration of the NHL’s CBA draws closer, both sides appear headed for a lockout. http://nyti.ms/Kx0jsi

Major League Baseball has released its new Collective Bargaining Agreement. You can see the agreement here: http://bit.ly/LfPn5h 
For a summary of the agreement here is Maury Brown’s take from back in November: http://bit.ly/Kfcddh

This week’s big news was Jonathan Vilma’s defamation lawsuit against NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Other sports news centered around various NCAA lawsuits, rules, and revenues.

To keep up throughout the week be sure to follow us on Twitter.
Follow @TulaneSportsLaw 

NFL

New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma filed a defamation suit against NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell claiming that Goodell made false, defamatory, and injurious statements about Vilma in relation to the recent Bountygate scandal. http://yhoo.it/KpFBL4 

Vilma’s complaint is here: http://bit.ly/JzwXOF 

Michael McCann examines some of the issues in Vilma’s lawsuit against Roger Goodell. http://bit.ly/LbHM3D

Bill Belichick is the NFL’s highest-paid coach according to Forbes. http://onforb.es/JGyLSH 
See more analysis on coaching salaries here: http://es.pn/KgqW30

Philadelphia Eagles tackle Jason Peters and Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs may lose millions of dollars under the nonfootball-injury provision of the new collective bargaining agreement. http://es.pn/LbmVnq

MLB

Major League Baseball fired independent arbitrator Shaym Das, the arbitrator responsible for overturning NL MVP Ryan Braun’s suspension. http://bit.ly/JDDMeA

Former trainer Brian McNamee admitted in court that he lied several times to federal agents and to the Mitchell Commission about whether he had evidence that former MLB pitcher Roger Clemens had taken steroids. http://trib.in/KG1Q1X 

Fans have filed a class-action lawsuit against Major League Baseball, DirecTV, and Comcast regarding the league’s blackout rules in local markets. http://huff.to/L3yd6X

NCAA

Kristi Dosh provides a summary of current television rights agreements for college football conferences. http://es.pn/LqDBDK 
Chadd Scott provides an analysis of third-tier rights and compares the value of ACC’s third-tier rights to the value of the Big 12’s. http://bit.ly/KlgaNg 

The NCAA rules committee has recommended that the floor surface of basketball courts be consistent at tournaments or special one-game events in response to concerns that decals or logos affected players’ footing on the court. http://es.pn/Jekd07

In an analysis of college spending and revenue, the University of Texas Athletic Department outspent and out-earned every other college athletic program in the country from 2010 to 2011. http://bit.ly/IWgMF2

A California state senator has introduced a bill known as the “Student-Athlete Bill of Rights” to ensure medical, financial, and educational support to California student-athletes. http://bit.ly/JsCBCi

Adam Hoge chastises the Big Ten Conference for its confusing positions and for standing in the way of a potential college football “Super Bowl.” http://cbsloc.al/J01dxx

Laurie Fine, wife of former Syracuse assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine, will file suit against ESPN for libel and defamation. http://es.pn/JjBzCc

Andy Schwarz provides data and some analysis on profit in NCAA programs. http://bit.ly/JddD9f

Other

The Louisiana State Senate approved a $36.5 million tax break over ten years for the New Orleans Hornets as part of the team’s new deal with the state. The bill now goes to Governor Bobby Jindal, who is expected to sign it into law. http://bit.ly/Ko3uVH

Grantland’s Michael Kruse wonders when major American sports will allow ads on jerseys. http://es.pn/JT1EfK