Neha Vyas Speaks on the “New Era in Collegiate Athletics” at UVA Law Symposium

Associate Neha Vyas spoke at the University of Virginia Sports and Entertainment Law Journal’s Symposium. Her panel titled “Name, Image and Likeness: A New Era in Collegiate Athletics” focused on the evolving legal landscape of college sports.

Key Takeaways

• Neha and the panelists discussed the groundbreaking House v. NCAA settlement, in which Winston & Strawn negotiated a $2.7 billion settlement addressing college athletes’ name, image and likeness (NIL) rights and compensation for the use of those rights. The settlement—which will also allow autonomy conferences to allocate up to 22% of their revenues in direct payments to athletes—will bring a seismic shift to college sports, paving the way for a fairer and more equitable future for college athletes.
• They explored the background of antitrust cases in college sports, highlighting the unique design of the NCAA infrastructure that has made it susceptible to antitrust scrutiny on multiple fronts. Neha and the panelists also examined the evolution of antitrust jurisprudence regarding student-athlete compensation restraints in college sports, including courts’ shifting views of the NCAA’s procompetitive justifications.
• Neha and the panelists addressed additional legal challenges the NCAA is currently facing and may encounter in the future, such as Johnson v. NCAA and other federal or state labor law claims.