OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Former college basketball standout Ed O’Bannon and his lawyers sought to dramatically expand their lawsuit challenging the NCAA’s ban on compensating athletes in a move that could expose the organization and its member schools to billions of dollars in damages.
O’Bannon and his lawyers on Thursday asked a federal court judge to turn their antitrust lawsuit into a class action, representing thousands of former and current college athletes. The lawsuit demands that the NCAA find a way to cut players in on the billions of dollars college sports earns annually in live broadcasts, memorabilia sales, video games and in other ways.
U.S. District Court Judge Claudia Wilken didn’t rule on either the merits of O’Bannon’s case or his demands to turn the case into a class action.
