Jewish World Review April 4, 2006 / 6 Nissan, 5766

NCAA's highest stakes are first beginning

By Evan Weiner

http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | March Madness is now over, but amid all the closing hoopla, hyperbole and pageantry you didn't hear or see much about two lawsuits challenging the NCAA and its rules concerning money and student athletes.

The NCAA has been hauled into court in Los Angeles and in Washington state.

In Los Angeles a group of former college football and basketball players are challenging the NCAA for what they say is the failure to provide full grants to student athletes in those sports to cover the entire costs of college.

In Washington state, a group of former walk on football players is challenging the NCAA's cap on grant-in-aid that big time football playing schools can give out.

These are an anti-trust cases and once these issues enter the judicial system, it becomes a very different ball game for the NCAA and the stakes become much bigger for the NCAA than any men's college basketball championship final.