After loss in court, the NCAA is pausing investigations into third-party NIL deals with athletes

By MARK LONG
AP Sports Writer

The NCAA has told its enforcement staff to halt investigations into booster-backed collectives or other third parties making name, image and likeness compensation deals with Division I athletes. In a letter to member schools, NCAA President Charlie Baker said the the Division I Board of Directors directed enforcement staff to hold off. The move comes a week after a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit brought by the attorneys general of Tennessee and Virginia. The antitrust suit challenges NCAA rules against recruiting inducements, saying they inhibit athletes’ ability to cash in on their celebrity and fame.