Friday Sports Replay

NFL lawsuits, NCAA playoff scenarios, and NBA controversies were the major news this week. But there was a variety of other interesting stories as well, including Chinese soccer bribes and Australian football disputes.

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

NFL

Hall of Fame NFL players Randy White, Rayfield Wright, and Bob Lilly are among the latest former NFL players to join the concussion lawsuits against the NFL. You can view the story and complaint here: http://bit.ly/IQl69O 

But Hall of Famers aren’t the only ones suing the NFL. A host of other players are filing suit as well, including Tim Couch, Courtney Brown, Fred Taylor, and Ladell Betts. http://bit.ly/JYF8OH

Will Thanksgiving night football ads be comparable to Super Bowl ads? NBC wants to make the two comparable in price. http://read.bi/K3ZUg0

The NFL Draft was this week and Ruling Sports provides an overview of the structure of NFL rookie contracts here: http://bit.ly/KaRQt9

David Cornwell, Executive Director of the NFL Coaches Association, has responded further to the NFL Players Association’s lawsuit against the NFLCA. http://bit.ly/JN7qvs

The Atlanta Falcons and the Georgia World Congress Center Authority are negotiating a deal to build a new retractable-roof stadium. The stadium would replace the Georgia Dome and cost approximately $950 million. http://bit.ly/Iakahw

NCAA

Andy Staples explains the issues surrounding the upcoming vote to create a college football playoff system. http://bit.ly/JvLSnU

ESPN’s Kristi Dosh explains why such a playoff would be a moneymaker for the NCAA. http://es.pn/I51Xjd

Florida International University denied NCAA basketball player Dominique Ferguson permission to contact other schools regarding a potential transfer. http://bit.ly/Ie4Bbs 

NBA

The National Basketball Players Association is now embroiled in controversy surrounding nepotism charges that Executive Director Billy Hunter unethically favored family members for employment and pay. http://bloom.bg/IfN1Pu

Benjamin Haynes discusses the “Choice of Law” issue that will play a major role in the Aaron Mintz v. Priority Sports lawsuit, concerning an NBA player-agent’s move from one agency to another. http://read.bi/Kh54ot

Alicia Jessop of Ruling Sports outlines the NBA appeals process for suspended players like Metta World Peace. http://bit.ly/IxSmRC

MLB

Major League Baseball and the players’ association have agreed to end personal-service deals and milestone bonus clauses in player contracts. http://es.pn/HZxsjl

Albert Chen examines how big television deals are affecting Major League Baseball teams. http://bit.ly/HXULGJ

Other

18 U.S. Olympians have sued Samsung over a Facebook app for misuse of their names and images. http://es.pn/IsPHtf

Interested in trademarking your favorite sports catchphrase? Learn more about the race for trademarks on famous sports catchphrases and how to apply for them. http://bit.ly/IEKKAZ

Glenn Archer, Director of Stride Sports Management, is taking legal action against his former employee and Australian Football League agent Alex McDonald, who left to form a new agency and allegedly took 35 players with him from Stride. http://bit.ly/IkucKk

The former chief of Chinese soccer stood trial this week on charges of that he received bribes while in office. http://trib.in/JfKaoQ

Ohio YMCA officials are fighting a state bill based on concerns about youth coaches facing greater legal liability. If it passed the bill would require coaches and referees to remove an athlete from a game after showing concussion symptoms. http://bit.ly/JMJCqV

Sports venues dominated the news with expansions, lease extensions, and fundraising efforts. This week’s top stories also focus on NFL lawsuits, jersey sponsorship, and NCAA scholarships.

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

Sports Venues

The Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District board of commissioners approved the new long-term lease extension for the New Orleans Hornets at its meeting this week. The new lease agreement, which will keep the Hornets in the New Orleans Arena through 2024, now moves to the Louisiana Legislature for approval. http://bit.ly/JSBlC7 

A bill to use public funds to build a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis failed in a state house committee vote. http://bit.ly/IVUjc3 

Minnesota House Democrats unsuccessfully attempted to revive the plan for the new stadium by sending it to a different committee. http://bit.ly/IajyZV 

LSU has released official plans for the expansion of Tiger Stadium, increasing the stadium’s capacity to around 100,000. LSU’s Athletic Department will present the proposal to the LSU Board of Supervisors next week. http://bit.ly/HR5DoY 

The University of California-Berkeley faces fundraising problems in an effort to renovate its football stadium. The school is short around $240 million and looking for ways to make up the deficit. http://on.wsj.com/JBINkP 

As college and professional sports venues continue to renovate and expand, the Miami Heat’s AmericanAirlines Arena plans to experiment with a new entertainment venue – a nightclub. http://bloom.bg/JgwiOT 

The Oakland Coliseum may change hands soon as SMG, the stadium’s current operator, and AEG, the owner of Los Angeles’s Staples Center, bid against each other for a five-year contract with the stadium. http://bit.ly/I1Gomp 

Major League Soccer’s Portland Timbers unveiled their new practice facility, the result of a partnership between the team, Adidas, and the Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District. http://bit.ly/HZq1p6

NFL

A concussion lawsuit filed against the NFL repeatedly mentions the recent Bountygate scandal as evidence of the NFL’s hard-hitting, violent culture. http://bit.ly/II7CQw

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall’s lawsuit for breach of contract against Hanesbrands Inc. will move forward as a judge denied Hanesbrands’s request for judgment as a matter of law late last week. Hanesbrands terminated its endorsement deal with Mendenhall after his controversial tweets last May regarding Osama bin Laden’s death and questioning the truth of the September 11th attacks. Copy of the order: http://bit.ly/ICZwWk 

The NFL Players Association is suing the NFL Coaches Association for more than $650,000 in debt. http://bit.ly/IQAhDe
A copy of the complaint can be found here: http://scr.bi/Is4XYU 
The NFL Coaches Association’s response is here: http://scr.bi/I8KBS2 

The arbitration hearing involving the NFL, Dallas Cowboys, and Washington Redskins regarding salary cap penalties is now set for May 10 before arbitrator Stephen Burbank. http://bit.ly/JJ9i7S 

Professor Feldman (@SportsLawGuy) provided some insight on the pending arbitration last week: http://wapo.st/HtcMKv

Other

University of Utah recently rescinded high school senior Josh Hearlihy’s scholarship before his high school graduation because of injury concerns. http://usat.ly/IUyjwd 

For a further examination of the rules governing National Letters of Intent, oversigning, and scholarship rescission, check out the three part series that ran earlier this year on the Tulane Sports Law Blog (part one, part two, and part three).

Are companies making inroads on the issue of jersey sponsorship in the major American sports? The NBA board of governors is examining the possibility of corporate jersey sponsorship. http://nyti.ms/HWLlvD 

Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber stated the league would implement goal-line technology if soccer’s governing body, the International Football Association Board, approves the technology this summer. http://wapo.st/IS9aSM

Despite baseball’s new season, football remains America’s most popular sport and its biggest newsmaker. This week’s top stories focus on MLB controversy, NCAA reform, and of course Bountygate and the NFL.

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

NFL

The NFL has revised its policy on casino advertising to allow NFL teams to sell advertisements to casinos with certain restrictions. http://bit.ly/HMMace 

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell decided to uphold the Bountygate suspensions of Saints general manager Mickey Loomis, head coach Sean Payton, and assistant coach Joe Vitt. However, Goodell stated he would consider reducing the team’s financial penalties and modifying the Saints’ forfeiture of their 2013 second-round draft choice for constructive participation in player safety programs. http://bit.ly/HvUw5W 

The NFL’s latest collective bargaining agreement has been billed as a “win-win” agreement for both sides. But are the players getting a worse deal than anticipated? http://bo.st/IP0FLX 

Dan Le Batard attacks Roger Goodell’s and the NFL’s handling of Bountygate, arguing the league was motivated by profit and a desire to avoid liability. http://bit.ly/HxeizP

MLB

With Roger Clemens’ retrial beginning on Monday, federal prosecutors will need to tread carefully. http://nyti.ms/HC6QVr 

San Diego Padres’ majority owner John Moores has terminated his agreement to sell the franchise to former chief executive Jeff Moorad. Moores is still determining whether he wants to sell the team. http://atmlb.com/HBPx74 

Major League Baseball is reviewing Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen’s comments to Time Magazine praising Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. The Marlins have already suspended Guillen for five games. http://es.pn/HnbLWx

NCAA

An NCAA task force has recommended decentralizing control over bowl games by turning over bowl management and licensing to FBS Conferences. But should the NCAA go further in relaxing its strict policies in college football? http://cbsprt.co/IilMrs 

The NCAA has hired Mark Lewis, the former vice president of sponsorship at NBC, to replace Greg Shaheen as vice president for championships and alliances. The move surprised NCAA men’s basketball coaches because Shaheen played a crucial role in the growth of the NCAA Tournament. http://bit.ly/HvMYmJ 

Change may be coming for college football’s postseason. What type of playoff or other proposal might the NCAA adopt? http://bit.ly/HBQ1ef

Sports Media

The United States Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee continue to contentiously negotiate a new broadcast revenue sharing agreement to split the billions of dollars in U.S. broadcast revenue that the Olympics generate. http://onforb.es/HBBQBO 

The NHL’s Los Angeles Kings are embroiled in a “social media storm” for a tweet from the team’s Twitter account insulting the Vancouver Canucks after the Kings’ Game 1 victory in Vancouver. http://lat.ms/IMyCNf

The NFL continues to dominate the headlines, even in the off-season. This week’s top stories revolve around Bountygate and player safety, NCAA reform, and of course the big business of sports broadcasting. Be sure to scroll down and read the article Andy Staples wrote following the NCAA panel discussion we hosted at Tulane Law School last week.

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

NFL

Professor Feldman (@SportsLawGuy) provides a Sports Law 101 look at what gives the commissioner the right to suspend the Bountygaters, and what rights the Bountygaters have to challenge the suspensions. http://es.pn/HVnLjF

Professor Feldman provides some insight into the Redskins/Cowboys cap penalties & pending arbitration. http://wapo.st/HMHZeH

A judge on Wednesday rejected Reebok's bid to overturn his ban on its sale of Tim Tebow New York Jets jerseys. http://bo.st/I9znge

The NFL and Ticketmaster renewed their partnership for at least $200 million. http://bit.ly/HbcFEr

The NFL is traditionally extremely averse to any affiliation with gambling, but that may change as the owners are set to vote on whether to allow casinos to advertise in stadiums. http://bit.ly/I4DEow

NFL and Player Safety

In the aftermath of the release of Gregg Williams’s speech, the NFL heard the Saints’ appeal of their Bountygate suspensions. http://yhoo.it/HUHi6J

The NFL Players Association has told players involved in the New Orleans Saints' bounty case there's a chance they could face criminal charges, and it has hired outside counsel. http://bit.ly/HiUJHU

Former Penn State running back Curt Warner joined about 70 other former NFL players in filing a lawsuit against the league last Friday. http://bit.ly/HmVPEa

NCAA

Based on last week’s NCAA panel discussion here at Tulane Law School, Sports Illustrated writer Andy Staples explores whether “Heavyweight programs could push Cinderella out of March Madness.” http://bit.ly/H9qW5G

Similarly, Mark Emmert has suggested to university presidents the creation of a committee to look at the possibility of changing the governance model to address the disparity between Division I schools and the rest of the membership. http://es.pn/HPLGjK 

Howard University is in serious trouble with the NCAA and could suspend its entire athletic program. http://bit.ly/HiCZN5 

The NBA and NCAA may be heading for a showdown over the NBA’s draft age requirement. http://bit.ly/HjqVzw 

The NCAA will distribute nearly $190 million to the teams that played in this year’s men’s basketball tournament, but is there a better way to share all that cash? http://bit.ly/I6wtO3 
Here is Joe Nocera’s latest, in which he attacks the NCAA’s propaganda machine. http://nyti.ms/Huy4rJ 

Sports Broadcasting

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals blessed the cable industry’s use of "tying" arrangements, through which programmers force distributors to accept programming in bulk. According to the opinion, "Tying arrangements, without more, do not necessarily threaten an injury to competition...plaintiffs must also allege facts showing that an injury to competition flows from these tying arrangements." Merely showing that consumers have less choice and pay more for their cable service is not sufficient. http://1.usa.gov/H8TXx4 

A group of fans are suing the NHL over the use of blackouts on the internet in local markets. http://bit.ly/H7CY2Q

Social Media

The debate on college campuses mirrors the larger conversation throughout the country over how much access to personal online activities private individuals can be compelled to give to employers. http://nyti.ms/HqLhBh