Can the NCAA/Universities sue the shoe companies?

[rikki-tikka-tava]

Seems a case for alleging serious damages though am not clear on what the specific charges would be. Also seems harder for the Schools to do since at least some of their employees were 'colluding' but if the companies were established as the initiators any of wrongdoing perhaps not, intent being legally actionable in at least some circumstances.

 

[Tasmanian Devil]

Seems a case for alleging serious damages though am not clear on what the specific charges would be. Also seems harder for the Schools to do since at least some of their employees were 'colluding' but if the companies were established as the initiators any of wrongdoing perhaps not, intent being legally actionable in at least some circumstances.

I imagine you would have to come up with some type of specific violation somewhere - and that could vary from state to state.

 

[largemouth]

The schools are in bed with them, eh? They've probably "looked the other way" for years.

 

[Stuffshot]

Seems a case for alleging serious damages though am not clear on what the specific charges would be. Also seems harder for the Schools to do since at least some of their employees were 'colluding' but if the companies were established as the initiators any of wrongdoing perhaps not, intent being legally actionable in at least some circumstances.

Well, it would be horrible publicity for a school to file such a suit because it would associate the school with the bad actors they sued during the life of the case.

But I think, depending what the agents, coaches and shoe companies actually did, that the schools might have a claim against someone for interference with a contract, fraudulent inducement of a contract or plain old fraud.

 

[channi]

Seems a case for alleging serious damages though am not clear on what the specific charges would be. Also seems harder for the Schools to do since at least some of their employees were 'colluding' but if the companies were established as the initiators any of wrongdoing perhaps not, intent being legally actionable in at least some circumstances.

Anyone can sue almost anybody for almost anything. While truth sometimes matters, the judge, the jury, and sympathy for the underdog can easily carry more weight than any of them should.

 

[IndyAuthor]

Can they? Sure anybody can sue anybody.

Will they? Absolutely not. Not one school has terminated their relationship with a shoe company after Adidas was named in the FBI case and Nike was subsequently raided by the FBI a week later (more fallout from that to come). I can't think of a single AD or school president that even criticized them publicly.

There's an economic ecosystem at work here that nobody (ADs, Coaches, shoe companies, etc.) wants to see go away —even the ones that don't cheat. Yes, they hate the cheating, but they love the money much more. Remember, before the age of schoolwide shoe contracts, assistant coaches weren't paid near as much as they are today. If "everybody knew" like so many former players and talking heads are saying, then there are a lot of people who weren't cheating but chose to look the other way too.

 

[YOTHN]

Can they? Sure anybody can sue anybody.

Will they? Absolutely not. Not one school has terminated their relationship with a shoe company after Adidas was named in the FBI case and Nike was subsequently raided by the FBI a week later (more fallout from that to come). I can't think of a single AD or school president that even criticized them publicly.

There's an economic ecosystem at work here that nobody (ADs, Coaches, shoe companies, etc.) wants to see go away —even the ones that don't cheat. Yes, they hate the cheating, but they love the money much more. Remember, before the age of schoolwide shoe contracts, assistant coaches weren't paid near as much as they are today. If "everybody knew" like so many former players and talking heads are saying, then there are a lot of people who weren't cheating but chose to look the other way too.

This.

It begs the question though, if its not cheating and its permitted (ala de-regulated)....the money is still there, no?