Court Certifies Class of Volunteer Coaches in Antitrust Lawsuit Against NCAA

A federal court has granted certification of a class of Division I assistant college coaches for specific sports in an antitrust lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Click here to see the order.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, alleges that the NCAA and its member institutions unlawfully fixed the compensation of certain Division I assistant coaches through an NCAA bylaw that prohibited schools from paying assistant coaches designated as "volunteer coaches". The case contends that this bylaw functioned as an illegal wage-fixing agreement among horizontal competitors-namely, NCAA member schools effectively capping pay at zero dollars and eliminating competition in the labor market for these coaching positions. Although the NCAA sought to appeal the District Court's order certifying this class, on May 2, 2025, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied that petition for appeal.

Gustafson Gluek, along with its co-counsel, believe this is an important step forward for our coach clients and the class who have been denied compensation for their work and are looking forward to moving this case forward towards a final determination on the merits.

Dennis Stewart, Tony Stauber, and Emily Egart are the primary attorneys on this case for Gustafson Gluek PLLC.