Ten players from NC State's 1983 national champion basketball team have sued the NCAA and Collegiate Licensing Company seeking compensation for unauthorized use of their name, image and likeness.
The players filed suit in Wake County Superior Court on Monday, asking for a jury trial and “reasonable compensation.”
The late Jim Valvano's 1983 team became known as the “Cardiac Pack” for a series of close victories that culminated in a 54-52 victory over Houston on a Lorenzo Charles dunk in the final seconds. Valvano's run down the court became an iconic moment that is frequently repeated as part of NCAA tournament promotions.
“For more than 40 years, the NCAA and its co-conspirators have systematically and intentionally misappropriated the Cardiac Pack's publicity rights – including their names, images and likenesses – associated with that game and that play, reaping tens of millions of dollars. of the legendary Cardiac Pack victory,” the lawsuit says.
NCAA spokeswoman Michelle Hosick did not immediately return a text message from The Associated Press on Monday seeking comment.
The plaintiffs include former team members Thurl Bailey, Alvin Battle, Walt Densmore, Tommy DiNardo, Terry Gannon, George McClain, Cozell McQueen, Walter Proctor, Harold Thompson and Mike Warren.
Charles died in 2011, while Dereck Whittenburg, whose missed 30-footer was scooped up by his teammate for the winning dunk, is a member of the North Carolina athletic department staff. Whittenburg is not among the plaintiffs listed in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit contends that “the value of student-athletes to the NCAA does not end upon graduation; archival images and other products constitute a continuing revenue stream for the NCAA long after the students whose images are used have left the school.” university”.
The NCAA and the nation's five largest conferences recently agreed to pay nearly $2.8 billion to settle a series of antitrust lawsuits, pending a judge's approval.
