The NCAA News - News and Features

June 30, 1997

Judge orders News notice in restricted-earnings case

A notice on page 23 of this issue of The NCAA News was ordered by a federal judge as part of the lawsuit involving the NCAA's restricted-earnings coach legislation.

U.S. District Judge Kathryn H. Vratil ruled May 24, 1995, that the NCAA violated federal antitrust law when it created a restricted-earnings coaching position in Division I at the 1991 Convention.

The NCAA appealed the ruling in January 1996. That appeal is pending.

On April 29, Vratil certified the lawsuit as a class action. At that time, she ordered that a notice be prepared to advise coaches who may have been affected by the legislation. On June 11, Vratil approved the notice.

Vratil specifically ordered the notice to be placed in The NCAA News by July 15. Attorneys for the plaintiffs asked that the notice appear in the June 30 issue, and the News accommodated that request. The notice may be posted in other newspapers and newsletters, such as NABC Courtside (the publication of the National Association of Basketball Coaches).