Four former Michigan football players, including All-Americans Braylon Edwards and Denard Robinson, filed a class-action antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA and Big Ten Network seeking more than $50 million in retroactive compensation for being “wrongfully and unlawfully prevented” from profiting off their name, image and likeness.
A complaint entered Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan alleges college athletes were denied NIL money for decades and “seeks to compensate former Michigan players and rectify that unlawful wrong.”
The four former players — Edwards, Robinson, defensive lineman Michael Martin and linebacker Shawn Crable — all played for the Wolverines prior to 2016. The House v. NCAA antitrust lawsuit, part of a proposed settlement with two other antitrust lawsuits against the NCAA, involves similar claims for retroactive NIL compensation prior to the 2021 rule change, but only stretches back to 2016 due to a statute of limitations.
This new suit in Michigan argues that the NCAA and Big Ten Network have continued to market and profit off the named players through things like present-day YouTube and social media clips, merchandise, and airing “classic” Michigan games from the past, which therefore “precludes (the NCAA and Big Ten Network) from relying on the statute of limitations.” In addition to the four named athletes, the suit seeks class-action status and relief for “other former University of Michigan football players” prior to 2016.
The complaint seeks “to hold the NCAA accountable for its actions and to secure just compensation for the unauthorized use” of the players’ NIL, as well as “a present and future share of any revenue generated from the use of their publicity rights.”
Free, daily sports updates direct to your inbox.
Free, daily sports updates direct to your inbox.
Sign Up
Robinson, nicknamed “Shoelace” because of his penchant for running with his shoes untied, rushed for 4,495 yards at Michigan, which ranks No. 2 in school history. He appeared on the cover of the video game EA Sports’ NCAA Football 14, the final edition of the game before the release of EA College Football 25 in July. Production of the game was halted for a decade after EA Sports and the NCAA were sued for using athletes’ likenesses without compensating them.
Robinson was picked by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft and played four seasons in the NFL as a running back. He was hired by Michigan as assistant director of player personnel in 2022 but left his position last spring following an arrest on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated. He was also among the current and former Michigan staff members named in a notice of allegations issued by the NCAA last month following an investigation into the Michigan football program.
Edwards is Michigan’s career leader in receptions (252), receiving yards (3,541) and receiving touchdowns (39). He was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the third pick of the 2005 NFL Draft and spent eight seasons in the NFL. He previously worked as an analyst for BTN.
BTN did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Michigan lawsuit is similar to other recent complaints representing members of North Carolina State’s 1983 national championship men’s basketball team and members of Kansas’s 2008 national championship men’s basketball team.
This latest filing also comes in the wake of the landmark House v. NCAA settlement hitting a roadblock in the approval process that could potentially derail the agreement. The NCAA initially agreed to settle House and two other notable antitrust lawsuits while simultaneously seeking a Congressional antitrust exemption, all in hopes of limiting the stream of litigation against the organization. Tuesday’s complaint in Michigan is the latest example of the continued challenges and legal battles the NCAA is likely to face.
Required reading
Photo of Denard Robinson: Kim Klement / Imagn Images
