College athletes reach $40 million settlement with EA Sports; Former Tennessee QB Erik Ainge is not happy
By Jack Crosby
Late Friday night, a group of over 4,000 college athletes won a settlement with ES Sports and NCAA licensing over the use of their likenesses being used in various video games throughout the years. It’s been a hot topic of discussion for about the last year or so, and is one of the main talking points of the famous Ed O’Bannon lawusit.
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"College football and basketball players have finalized a $40 million settlement with a video game manufacturer and the NCAA’s licensing arm for improperly using the likenesses of athletes, leaving the NCAA alone to defend itself in the upcoming Ed O’Bannon antitrust trial."
With the ruling, $4,000 could now be delivered to all of those athletes, and their attorney, Steve Berman, could not be happier about it.
“I’m thrilled that for the first time in the history of college sports, athletes will get compensated for their performance,” said Steve Berman, co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs. “It’s pretty groundbreaking.”
But, you know who’s not happy about it? Former Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Erik Ainge.
It started when Ainge tweeted ESPN financial expert Darren Rovell saying that, as a former college athlete, he’d rather them keep making the game than profit a few extra bucks personally.
@darrenrovell: How much college players are expected to make from video game settlement pic.twitter.com/3qn1D0FoH9" Id rather them make the game
— Erik Ainge (@ErikAinge3) May 31, 2014
He then went on to explain in a tweet replay that when he was at Tennessee, he loved that fact that folks were living vicariously through him in a video game, but he didn’t ask to be compensated for it.
@jonarens @darrenrovell I used to love when people had the game and played with me or wore my jersey. I didn't say... "Where is my cut?" Sad
— Erik Ainge (@ErikAinge3) May 31, 2014
Of course, as with any controversial matter such as this, not everyone is going to be happy. Since day one when this matter was brought up you had people on both sides of the fence, and it’ll be no different going forward, especially with former players like Ainge who have been in the position.