The University of New Hampshire School of Law will play host to Ed O’Bannon as he speaks publicly for the first time on his historic case against the NCAA as part of a symposium on Thursday, Nov. 17 at 4:30 p.m. The event will feature a one-on-one interview with the former UCLA basketball star by UNH Law professor and Sports Illustrated Legal Analyst Michael McCann, followed by a panel discussion and networking reception.
O’Bannon’s historic case against the NCAA ended on October 3, 2016, when the U.S. Supreme Court denied petitions for writ of certiorari by both O’Bannon and the NCAA. The denial left in place O’Bannon’s 2015 victory before a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. On September 30, 2015 Judges Sidney Thomas, Jay Bybee and Gordon Quist held that certain NCAA amateurism rules constitute an unlawful and anti-competitive conspiracy by the more than 1,200 member NCAA colleges, conferences and affiliate organizations to deny men’s basketball and football players of the monetary value of their names, images and likenesses when used for commercial purposes.
The impact of the O’Bannon case will take years to play out. The Nov. 17 symposium at UNH Law, “O’Bannon Takes a Stand: Amateurism & the Case Against the NCAA,” will feature in-depth discussion on the case and its aftermath. The event will begin with the one-on-one interview by McCann—who has written more than a dozen articles on the case for Sports Illustrated —with O’Bannon.
Following the discussion, a panel of top experts will discuss the O’Bannon decision and what it, along with related legal efforts, will mean for the future of college sports. Panelists include College Athletes Players Association (CAPA) Board of Directors member Luke Bonner, Western New England Law Professor Erin Buzuvis, Attorney Alan Milstein of Sherman Silverstein, Lawyer and UNH Associate Director of Compliance De-Neita Peoples, and Attorney Exavier Pope of Pope Law Firm. The symposium will be moderated by UNH Law Professor Michael Dube.
This event is co-sponsored by the UNH Law Sports and Entertainment Law Institute and Sports and Entertainment Law Society.
