College Baseball Coaches File Antitrust Lawsuit Against NCAA

NCAA Baseball: College World Series-Arkansas vs Auburn
Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

The NCAA is finding itself in yet another antitrust legal battle. Multiple Division 1 volunteer baseball coaches filed a complaint concerning a dispute over established rules and paid wages. The complaint accuses the NCAA of restricting the amount of paid coaches each team is permitted to hire and of hard capping a volunteer coaches’ salary to zero.

Arkansas coach Taylor Smart and UC Davis coach Michael Hacker are the plaintiffs in the case Smart et al. v. NCAA. In the complaint, volunteer coaches allege that they are required to perform full-time duties but are not properly compensated, unlike assistant coaches that make six figures, and head coaches that make more than $1 million in wages.

The NCAA recently saw a victory in another legal case after it was sued by Alana Gee, the widow of former NCAA athlete Matthew Gee. A jury ruled that the NCAA should not be held responsible for the death of Alana Gee’s late husband, who was a former USC linebacker. Alana’s lawsuit against the NCAA began back in October when she accused the NCAA of being responsible for her husband’s death. She sought $1.8 million in damages, in addition to advocating for the NCAA to return the funds it has generated as a result of its alleged negligence. The NCAA denied all allegations, arguing that Matthew Gee’s death was a direct result of previous medical issues and not his injuries incurred while playing football. A judge recently ruled in the NCAA’s favor in that case.

Front Office Sports has more HERE.

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