NCAA can't enforce NIL rules after judge grants injunction

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A federal judge in Tennessee granted a preliminary injunction Friday afternoon that prohibits the NCAA from punishing any athletes or boosters for negotiating name, image and likeness deals during their recruiting process or while they are in the transfer portal.

The injunction is not a final ruling in the case, but the judge's decision will likely have an immediate and dramatic impact on how NIL deals are used in the recruiting process.

"The NCAA's prohibition likely violates federal antitrust law and harms student-athletes," U.S. District Judge Clifton Corker wrote in his decision Friday.

NCAA rules prohibit student-athletes from signing NIL contracts that are designed as inducements to get them to attend a particular school -- one of the few restrictions in place for how student-athletes can make money. For example, the NCAA recently announced sanctions against Florida State football because a member of its coaching staff connected a prospect with a booster collective that works closely with the Seminoles. The collective made a specific offer to the player, who was considering transferring from his current school to Florida State.

Source: Judge grants preliminary injunction over NIL rules

The wild west of the NIL continues.