Bradford Edwards & Varlack LLP is proud to introduce our 2021 class of summer interns, Cassandra Cappiello, Shanna A. Joseph and Jahi Liburd!
A New Era Dawns In College Sports
Partner Patrick Bradford speaks to NPR on the lasting impact of the United States Supreme Court ruling that the NCAA cannot stop universities from giving student-athletes education-related benefits.
The Supreme Court’s Surprising Term
Bradford Edwards & Varlack LLP is mentioned in New Yorker magazine, which highlights several pivotal Supreme Court cases that arose against the backdrop of the 2020 pandemic and the recent presidential election. Among the noteworthy topics was the unanimous Supreme Court ruling in N.C.A.A. v. Alston, which struck down N.C.A.A. restrictions on education-related benefits for college athletes.
Patrick Bradford works with Tillman Breckenridge in brief against NCAA decision
Tillman Breckenridge is quoted in Law.com as giving “all credit to Patrick Bradford for starting things up and really pushing to get the amicus brief,” submitted to the Supreme Court in N.C.A.A. v. Alston, “across the finish line.” Bradford’s efforts not only targeted the anti-competitive practices of the N.C.A.A. but also served to emphasize the exploitation of young black athletes and the disparate impact of N.C.A.A. regulations on African American communities as a whole.
Black antitrust lawyers earn nod from Kavanaugh in win for college athletes
Partner Patrick Bradford is touted by Reuters as having “organized the effort” to expose the N.C.A.A.’s anticompetitive conduct in the amicus brief written for N.C.A.A. v. Alston, a brief which earned a citation from Justice Brett Kavanaugh in his concurring opinion.
Supreme Court Client Alert: NCAA v. Alston
Today a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court, in an opinion by Justice Gorsuch, upheld a 9th Circuit decision that the NCAA’s rules for compensating Division I football and basketball players are subject to a full Rule of Reason analysis, and that NCAA conferences and school may permit certain education-related benefits.
The underlying decision involved a district court’s injunction of restrictions by NCAA conferences and schools that imposed caps on education-related benefits to athletes, such as rules that limit scholarships for graduate or vocational school, payments for academic tutoring, or paid post-eligibility internships. The 9th Circuit affirmed the district court’s decision and the NCAA appealed to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court’s opinion upheld the lower courts’ findings that providing certain education-related benefits to students would not blur the line between college and professional sports, and therefore would not lead to a decrease in viewership for college games on television.
College Athletes Call Justices’ NCAA Ruling A Game Changer
Partner, Denver Edwards, co-author of the amicus brief submitted to the Supreme Court in N.C.A.A. v Alston, is quoted in Law360 discussing economic productivity and opportunity for college athletes. Edwards, a former college athlete himself, discusses that marketing is “incredibly important because in the time that you are most productive, these students are able to maximize their economic productivity and be able to go forward and support themselves.”
Patrick Bradford: United States Supreme Court case of Alston v. NCAA
Join partner Patrick A. Bradford and fellow speakers Gordon McGrath, Sheila Adams, and Christopher Wilson as they discuss the United States Supreme Court case of Alston v. NCAA and the current trends in antitrust litigation at the BIHC Network’s Virtual Regional Summit – Elevating Black Excellence: Antitrust panel.
Modern Day Peonage: A Legal Fiction Stands Between College Players and Their Rightful Compensation
Partners Patrick Bradford and Denver Edwards, co-authors of the amicus brief submitted to the Supreme Court in the case N.C.A.A. v. Alston, discuss the injustice of the N.C.A.A. athletic industry which capitalizes on the talent of young college athletes while simultaneously depriving them of quality education and the financial means to succeed in the future. While this case is rooted in issues surrounding anti-competition, is also serves as a call for justice on behalf of young, primarily black, athletes who are being exploited to perpetuate a capitalist agenda.
SEC Settles with Cheesecake Factory: A Small Penalty with Big Implications
New York, January 25, 2021 – The SEC sent a message to public companies recently when it settled an investigation involving well-known eatery, Cheesecake Factory (see SEC Order). The company’s failure to make accurate disclosures about its financial condition, as prompted by Covid-19 realities, was egregious, yet the SEC’s order allowed the company to neither admit nor deny liability, to pay a civil money penalty of $125,000, a slap on the wrist for a public company, and agree to cease and desist from committing or causing any violations and any future violation of the reporting standards of Section 13(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rules 12b-20 and 13a-11 thereunder. What is the message? The Staff is watching – closely.
