Plaintiffs in Colorado lawsuit v. NCAA ask judge to deny preliminary approval of billion settlement

Plaintiffs’ attorneys in a federal antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA that is not part of a recent $2.78 billion settlement agreement filed a motion Friday asking a judge to deny preliminary approval of the deal.

Attorneys in Fontenot v. the NCAA, which was filed in a Colorado District Court, say the agreement to three antitrust lawsuits facing the association and five major conferences is settling for “just pennies on the dollar.”

The NCAA, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern Conference agreed in May to pay billions in damages to former and current college athletes who were denied the ability to earn money from their names, images and likeness, dating to 2016.

A preliminary approval hearing in front of U.S. Judge Claudia Wilken in the Northern District of California has been scheduled for Sept. 5.

Former Colorado football player Alex Fontenot filed his lawsuit last November, claiming NCAA rules have illegally prevented college athletes from earning their fair share of the millions of dollars in revenue schools bring in.

The plaintiffs’ attorneys in the House case requested that Fontenot v. NCAA be joined with the cases in California that are part of the settlement, but a Colorado judge denied the request in May.

The settlement also includes a plan to allow schools to implement a revenue-sharing system with athletes and increase the number of scholarships schools would be permitted — though not required — to hand out in most Division I sports. Scholarship limits would be replaced by roster caps.

Earlier this week, the attorneys representing Fontenot filed another lawsuit against the NCAA in the name of a former college baseball player.

Former TCU player Riley Cornelio claims scholarship limits allowed the NCAA and conferences to fix wages. The lawsuit is seeking class-action status.

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