Detroit Lions star wide receiver Jameson Williams has filed a lawsuit against the Big Ten, SEC and the NCAA, claiming all three entities profited off his name, image and likeness.
Williams began his career at Ohio State and finished at Alabama, after which he shot up draft boards, going 12th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.
"To date, Williams has received no fair compensation from Defendants for the full commercial value of his name, image, and likeness. Defendants continuously financially benefit from Jameson Williams’ name, image and likeness rights, while also doing so without providing him with just compensation," the suit says, according to The California Post.
Williams is also reportedly seeking the earnings he "would have received" from social media, as well as some of "the game telecast group licensing revenue."
According to Fox Sports, Williams is claiming that the parties engaged in anti-competitive collusion, predatory pricing, monopolistic practices and deceptive branding in violation of the Cartwright Act, Unfair Practices Act, Sherman Antitrust Act and Lanham Act.
"Plaintiff received less — zero — than he otherwise would have received for the use of his name, image, and likeness in a competitive marketplace, and was thus damaged, and seeks to recover those damages," the lawsuit says.
