NEW YORK — Mario Chalmers and Sherron Collins, who starred for the Kansas Jayhawks, are among 16 former men’s college basketball players who have sued the NCAA and multiple conferences, claiming those bodies are profiting from the unauthorized use of their names, images and likenesses in promoting and monetizing March Madness — the NCAA Division I tournament.
Chalmers hit a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left to force overtime in the 2008 national championship game against Memphis on the way to the title. The lawsuit says the NCAA and Turner Sports Interactive — another defendant — have profited from replaying Chalmers’ shot without paying him.
The Atlantic Coast, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12 and Southeastern conferences also are defendants in the class-action lawsuit, filed Monday in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York.
“The NCAA has conspired with conferences, colleges, licensing companies, and apparel companies to fix the price of student-athlete labor near zero and make student-athletes unwitting and uncompensated lifetime pitchmen for the NCAA,” the lawsuit states.
The suit said March Madness generates close to $1 billion in annual revenue for the NCAA, but none has gone to the plaintiffs, who are seeking unspecified damages.