Athletes’ Rights Affirmed

The right of college athletes to sue their conference or the NCAA has been upheld in a case involving the University of Washington football team.

The decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirms a ruling last year by U.S. District Judge Barbara Rothstein, who said players seeking to overturn sanctions imposed by the Pacific-10 could sue the conference for monetary damages.

Although the legal challenge by the players was dismissed by Rothstein on Feb. 22, the Pac-10 had appealed to overturn the judge’s earlier decision that the players had a legal right to seek monetary damages in the first place.