NFL star Jameson Williams has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA, but his claim could trigger a chain reaction across the sport

The NCAA is making a lot of headlines lately, not only because of impressive performances across various college sports, but also for the wrong reasons. Previously, we heard about a former college football champion who lured people into a $20 million scam after impersonating NFL players; now, the NCAA is getting sued by a famous NFL star. However, the reason for the filed lawsuit could influence other players as well, putting the association in additional trouble.

The NFL player is none but Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams. Per the Daily Mail, the reports from California Post suggest that the athlete is suing the NCAA for using his name, image, and likeness without proper compensation. He is going against three leagues at once, including the Big Ten Conference and the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

The lawsuit mentions, “To date, Williams has received no fair compensation from Defendants for the full commercial value of his name, image, and likeness. Defendants continuously financially benefit from Jameson Williams’ name, image and likeness rights, while also doing so without providing him with just compensation.” Williams pointed fingers at the limitations of these leagues, which prevented him from making the most of his name, image, and likeness.

If this wide receiver wins, the NCAA will lose to several others as well

It looks like the athlete is unhappy with the fact that these leagues have earned millions in revenue by using him, but he didn’t get enough cut from it. He filed the lawsuit on April 28 in Los Angeles County and is set to battle against these three big names as they utilized his image ‘for financial or any similar gain or reason without his consent and compensation.’

He is suing for the Cartwright Act, the Unfair Practices Act, the Lanham Act, and the Sherman Antitrust Act. Williams also said that these three big leagues continued to use his name, image, and likeness on social media platforms and highlight packages, which led to more revenue. However, he didn’t get enough compensation despite generating money for them.

If this wide receiver ended up winning, it would open the door for several others to claim their cut as well. Judging by Williams’ case, it’s unlikely that he was the only athlete who went through this. A successful outcome could potentially trigger other copycat lawsuits from hundreds, if not thousands, of pre-2021 college athletes demanding their fair share of the billions of revenue.

The lawsuit has already been filed, and only time will tell what these 3 leagues will do to defend themselves. If they won, they’d surely dodge a bullet that could have led to chaos around the league otherwise.