The NCAA has "all but abandoned plans for votes in the coming days that could have allowed student-athletes to profit" off their name, image and likeness, following "new scrutiny" from the Justice Department. The DOJ in a Friday letter warned NCAA President Mark Emmert that the government "wanted to ensure that any NCAA rules 'will allow college athletes to benefit from robust competition for their talents.'" Emmert in a letter to the DOJ yesterday said that he had “'strongly recommended' that the association’s governing bodies wait, effectively stepping back from pledges" that college sports leaders "would act this winter." Emmert: “We were right on the cusp of making some really, really important changes," but "now we’ve got to pause" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/10).
Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim in response to Emmert's letter "offered a sharply worded reply" last night in which he "not only appeared to take issue with Emmert’s assessment of the association’s antitrust compliance, but also raised the issue of how that situation impacts athletes of color and from challenging socio-economic circumstances." Delrahim "seemed to criticize the NCAA not for delaying a vote ... but for not developing proposals that would allow the NCAA to comply with antitrust law" (USA TODAY, 1/9). The NIL reform "has been in the NCAA's legislative pipeline for more than year" (AP, 1/9).
