Josh Heupel joins Tennessee fight against NCAA in federal court over NIL rules

The state’s fight against the NCAA in federal court will include the viewpoint of Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel.

On Feb. 9, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti filed a brief in which Heupel declares his support of a preliminary injunction, which would freeze the NCAA’s rules regarding name, image and likeness benefits for athletes until the case concludes.

“Respectfully, this Court’s TRO decision—specifically, its analysis of irreparable harm—should not control its preliminary-injunction decision,” Skrmetti said in Friday’s brief filed in the Eastern District of Tennessee federal court. “This Court should find that Plaintiffs, at least at the preliminary-injunction stage, have shown irreparable harm.”

“Only a small minority of student-athletes go on to play pro. Because of the risk of injuries in college sports, an early NIL deal could be the best or only NIL deal they might ever secure,” Heupel said.