Earlier today, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a case originally brought by former UCLA basketball star, Ed O'Bannon, that the NCAA's ban on pay for Division I college football and basketball players violates the federal antitrust law known as the Sherman Act. O'Bannon filed suit in the federal district court for the Northern District of California after learning that Electronic Arts, Inc. was using his likeness in a video game.

That district court ruled that the NCAA's "amateurism" rules are an unlawful restraint of trade in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act. The district court cleared the way for member schools to give student-athletes scholarships up to the full cost of attending their schools, and also up to $5,000 annually in deferred compensation, which would be held in trust after college.
The Ninth Circuit found the $5,000 payments "erroneous," but affirmed payment to D-I football and basketball players up to the cost of attending their schools, effectively granting full scholarships to those athletes. D-I schools already do this, but this ruling would make it a legal duty.

A New York federal district court judge overturned Tom Brady's four-game suspension for allegedly participating in the "Deflategate" fiasco. Brady will not be suspended at all and will start game one against the Steelers. 
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In a 40-page decision, U.S. District Court Judge Richard M. Berman granted the NFL Players' Associations' motion to vacate the arbitration award and denied the NFL Management Council's motion to confirm that award. Judge Berman found that Commissioner Goodell denied the Players Association's request for documents related to witness interviews conducted as part of the "Wells investigation." Brady contended, and the court agreed, that he was denied the opportunity to effectively challenge conclusions of the Wells Report, but counsel for the Management Council, Paul, Weiss, did have access to those documents.