A judge on Tuesday kept in place for now NCAA rules prohibiting name, image and likeness compensation from being used as a recruiting inducement, denying a request for a temporary restraining order by the states of Tennessee and Virginia.
The attorneys general of those states filed a federal antitrust lawsuit in the Eastern District of Tennessee last week that challenged the NCAA's NIL rules, after it was revealed that the University of Tennessee was being investigated by the association for potential violations.
The states asked for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction, saying immediate action was needed to prevent the NCAA from standing in the way of recruits monetizing their fame.
The period in which high school football recruits can sign scholarship agreements with schools begins Wednesday.
U.S. District Judge Clifton Corker wrote that the states have failed to show that the recruits would suffer irreparable harm if the temporary restraining order were not granted.
A preliminary injunction hearing is scheduled for Feb. 13.
