Written by Brian Murphy of WRAL News

A student-athlete from the University of North Carolina has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA for its regulations that prevent individual athletes from accepting monetary rewards in non-NCAA events. This is the most recent legal allegation against rules that limit college athletes from profiting from their abilities or popularity.

Reese Brantmeier, a female tennis player at UNC, submitted a legal complaint on Monday to the Middle District of North Carolina’s U.S. District Court. She is requesting an injunction to temporarily halt the regulation and eventually have it declared invalid.

The term “student-athlete” refers to someone who not only participates in sports, but also fulfills their academic duties by attending class, taking exams, and completing assignments like any other student. These words were spoken by Jason Miller, a lawyer in Raleigh, and his law firm Miller, Monroe and Plyler are representing Brantmeier.

The term “student” should not depend on whether or not an individual has a part-time job at the Starbucks in Chapel Hill as a barista or participates in non-NCAA events for tennis or golf. The term “student-athlete” should be based on an individual’s academic status, rather than their source of income.

The lawsuit aims to have athletes from Division I sports like tennis, golf, swimming, track and field, wrestling, gymnastics, bowling, equestrian, rifle, and skiing classified as a single group.

WRAL’s comment request to the NCAA has not been immediately addressed.

As a high school junior, Brantmeier participated in the 2022 U.S. Open where they reached the third round in singles and the second round in doubles. Despite being entitled to over $49,109, they were only able to accept the NCAA’s maximum allowable amount of $10,000.

Fellow UNC women’s tennis player Fiona Crowley advanced to the fourth round of the 2023 U.S. Open and forfeited more than $80,000 in prize money. Nick Dunlap, an Alabama golfer, won a PGA Tour event earlier this year and could not claim the $1.5 million prize.

The NCAA has made allowances in its regulations on prize money, specifically for Olympic athletes who earn medals and receive monetary rewards from their nation. The lawsuit notes that Brantmeier could have received the money if it was given as a “grant,” or if her participation was classified as a name, image, and likeness agreement.

According to the complaint, Brantmeier argues that the NCAA’s regulations on limiting prize money for student-athletes in non-revenue, individual sports are completely arbitrary. This is especially significant when considering the organization’s other regulations, exceptions, and approaches to enforcement within the current college athletics environment.

According to the complaint, limits placed on prize money have denied student-athletes the compensation they have earned for their athletic success in non-NCAA events. These restrictions are in violation of the law and unfairly hinder the earning potential of individual sport competitors.

Currently, Brantmeier is in her second year at UNC. During her first year, she was unable to compete for a portion of the season due to the NCAA’s suspicion about the authenticity of her expenses for the U.S. Open. Despite this setback, she still played as the No. 1 singles player for UNC, and the team ended up winning the NCAA Tournament.

Unfortunately, due to a knee injury sustained in January, Brantmeier, who is currently ranked at the top in doubles, will be unable to compete for the remainder of the season.

Source: wralsportsfan.com