Jah Reid UCF lawsuit has potential to change landscape of college football
A lawsuit brought against the University of Central Florida by the Kansas City Chiefs’ Jah Reid could set a legal precedent that would alter the workings of major college football.
If the Jah Reid UCF lawsuit is successful, NCAA football programs would have to change their marketing practices going forward.
Reid finished his four-year collegiate career, all spent on the Knights’ offensive line, in 2010. He was drafted in the third round by the Baltimore Ravens in 2011. Despite the fact that Reid hasn’t suited up for the Knights in almost six years, the school’s football program is still using his image and name in its media products. Reid says that he hasn’t received any payment from the school for such usage, nor have they requested permission to do so.
At issue in the suit is whether playing for a college/university gives that institution rights to use an athlete’s likeness and name without compensation in perpetuity. Reid believes that the school owes him $800,000 for the usage of his identity since he has graduated.
It’s possible that Reid and UCF could reach a settlement, and NCAA programs around the country are probably hoping that will be the case. If this suit goes to trial, and Reid wins, it would set a legal precedent that NCAA football programs would have to adjust to.
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A ruling in Reid’s favor most likely wouldn’t affect whether or not athletes currently enrolled at NCAA institutions could receive compensation from their schools for the usage of their likenesses and names. That matter has been challenged in court recently, and for now, NCAA member institutions seem to be in the clear legally. At stake is whether or not schools can continue to use those athletes’ identities after they leave the schools.
College football programs often tout alumni who have made it to the NFL, especially those who have had some success like Reid, in marketing themselves. UCF isn’t alone in this practice, though most NFL players have let the matter pass without incident, and UCF could have avoided this scenario by reaching out to Reid for permission.
If Reid wins this case, the adjustment that schools would have to make could be something as simple as adding an additional clause to the student-athlete agreement signed by enrollees that would give the school usage rights in perpetuity. It’s likely that the NCAA and athletic conferences would approve such a change, as schools paying out hundreds of thousands of dollars to use the images and names of alumni now in the NFL isn’t sustainable.
Reid has a strong case, as his amateur days ended years ago but the school has been profiting off him nonetheless. If the court agrees with him, NCAA member institutions will have to make an adjustment.