Supreme Court rules against NCAA on education-related benefits for athletes
21 June 2021
The Supreme Court unanimously ruled against the NCAA Monday, upholding a lower-court order that will allow schools to provide unlimited academic-related benefits to their student-athletes.
Why it matters: The ruling bars the NCAA from limiting education-related benefits that colleges could can provide their athletes, such as laptops, tutoring services, internships and more.
- The NCAA had argued that the limits were necessary to preserve the amateur nature of college sports. Athletes had argued that the restrictions violate federal antitrust laws.
- Some critics say the ruling could open the door to a pay-for-play system in which schools compete for talent by shelling out thousands under the legal guise of education benefits.
What they're saying: "The NCAA’s bankrupt model is finally starting to come apart," tweeted California Gov. Gavin Newsom. "Sickening that colleges reap BILLIONS from student athletes but block them from earning a single dollar. This brings us one step closer to fixing that."
The big picture: The Supreme Court ruling does not touch on the question of whether student athletes can be paid a salary for the rights to their names, image and likeness. Congress is currently considering legislation related to that issue.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.