Federal Judge in Kansas Partially Blocks Biden Administration's New Rules Protecting LGBTQ+ Students
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge in Kansas has blocked a federal rule expanding anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ students from being enforced in four states and a patchwork of places elsewhere across the nation. U.S. District Judge John Broomes suggested in his decision Tuesday that the Biden administration must now consider whether enforcing the rule remains worth the effort. Broomes’ decision is the third against the rule from a federal judge in recent weeks. It applies in Kansas, Alaska, Utah and Wyoming because they sued. It also applies to a Stillwater, Oklahoma, middle school that has a student suing and to members of three groups also fighting the rule.
Republicans have argued that the rule represents a ruse by the Biden administration to allow transgender females to play on girls' and women's sports teams, something banned or restricted in Kansas and at least 24 other states.
(-Additional Reporting-)
Judge's Order Greatly Expands Where Biden Can't Enforce New Rule Protecting LGBTQ+ Students
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Enforcement of a federal rule expanding anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ students has been blocked in four states and a patchwork of places elsewhere by a federal judge in Kansas. U.S. District Judge John Broomes suggested in his ruling Tuesday that the Biden administration must now consider whether forcing compliance remains “worth the effort.”
Broomes' decision was the third against the rule from a federal judge in less than three weeks but more sweeping than the others. It applies in Alaska, Kansas, Utah and Wyoming, which sued over the new rule. It also applies to a Stillwater, Oklahoma, middle school that has a student suing over the rule and to members of three groups backing Republican efforts nationwide to roll back LGBTQ+ rights. All of them are involved in one lawsuit.
Broomes, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, directed the three groups — Moms for Liberty, Young America’s Foundation and Female Athletes United — to file a list of schools in which their members' children are students so that their schools also do not comply with the rule. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, a Republican who argued the states' case before Broomes last month, said that could be thousands of schools.
The Biden administration rule is set to take effect in August under the Title IX civil rights law passed in 1972, barring sex discrimination in education. Broomes' order is to remain in effect through a trial of the lawsuit in Kansas, though the judge concluded that the states and three groups are likely to win.
Republicans have argued that the rule represents a ruse by the Biden administration to allow transgender females to play on girls' and women's sports teams, something banned or restricted in Kansas and at least 24 other states. The administration has said it does not apply to athletics. Opponents of the rule have also framed the issue as protecting women and girls' privacy and safety in bathrooms and locker rooms. “Gender ideology does not belong in public schools and we are glad the courts made the correct call to support parental rights,” Moms for Liberty co-founders Tina Descovich and Tiffany Justice said in a statement.
LGBTQ+ youth, their parents, health care providers and others say restrictions on transgender youth harms their mental health and makes an often marginalized group even more vulnerable. The Department of Education has previously stood by its rule and President Joe Biden has promised to protect LGBTQ+ rights.
The Department of Education did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Tuesday.
Besides Broomes, two other federal judges issued rulings in mid-June blocking the new rule in 10 other states. The rule would protect LGBTQ+ students by expanding the definition of sexual harassment at schools and colleges and adding safeguards for victims.
Like the other judges, Broomes called the rule arbitrary and concluded that the Department of Education and its secretary, Miguel Cardona, exceeded the authority granted by Title IX. He also concluded that the rule violated the free speech and religious freedom rights of parents and students who reject transgender students' gender identities and want to espouse those views at school or elsewhere in public.
Broomes said his 47-page order leaves it to the Biden administration “to determine in the first instance whether continued enforcement in compliance with this decision is worth the effort.” Broomes also said non-transgender students' privacy and safety could be harmed by the rule. He cited the statement of the Oklahoma middle school student that “on some occasions” cisgender boys used a girls' bathroom “because they knew they could get away with it.”
“It is not hard to imagine that, under the Final Rule, an industrious older teenage boy may simply claim to identify as female to gain access to the girls' showers, dressing rooms, or locker rooms, so that he can observe female peers disrobe and shower,” Broomes wrote.
(–Related–)
Congressional Candidate Nancy Boyda Breaks Ranks With Democrats on Transgender Sports Issue
UNDATED (KNS) – A Kansas Democrat running for Congress is defying her party’s platform on transgender women playing women’s sports. The Kansas News Service reports that Nancy Boyda won the state’s second congressional district in 2006. Now seeking reelection, she says transgender girls and women should not compete in girls’ and women’s school sports. Bob Beatty, a political science professor at Washburn University, says the stance might help Boyda in the Republican-leaning district. But other issues like the economy, abortion and immigration might matter more. “The transgender issue gets attention drastically disproportionate to how important most voters think it is when they cast votes,” he explained. He also said that Boyda’s stance might boost her electability in a Republican-leaning district. “That's something that I think would help a Democrat, would be, just be seen as more moderate in the general election,” he added. Democratic primary challenger Matt Kleinmann says school sports is a local issue. There are also five Republicans running for the seat.
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Lawrence Police Search for Bank Robber
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - Police in Lawrence are looking for a bank robber and asking for the public's help to identify the suspect. Police say someone robbed a Bank of America branch (near 9th and Ohio) around 9:20 Tuesday morning and fled the scene on foot with an undisclosed amount of money. It's unclear whether a weapon was used in the robbery. No on was injured. Authorities have released some video images of the suspect. They're also asking for anyone in the area with a home security camera to check their recordings to see whether they captured anything leading up to or immediately following the robbery.
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VP of Kansas Company Guilty of Trying to Illegally Export U.S. Avionics Equipment to Russia
UNDATED (KPR) - Federal prosecutors say a Kansas man has pleaded guilty to circumventing U.S. export laws and selling sophisticated and controlled avionics equipment to customers in Russia. The Justice Department says 56-year-old Douglas Edward Robertson, of Olathe, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to sell advanced U.S. avionics equipment to Russian customers, in violation of federal law. Robertson is the former vice president of KanRus Trading Company. Robertson faces up to 65 years in prison. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 3.
According to court documents, as part of his guilty plea, Robertson admitted that between 2020 and when he was arrested in March 2023, he conspired with other co-defendants, including Cyril Gregory Buyanovsky of Lawrence, to smuggle American avionics equipment to end users in Russia and other countries.
In December 2023, Buyanovsky, the former President and owner of KanRus, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and money laundering and consented to the forfeiture of over $450,000 worth of avionics equipment and accessories, and a $50,000 personal forfeiture judgment. On March 19, Chistyakov, a former KanRus broker, was arrested in Riga, Latvia, for his role in the illegal smuggling scheme. Chistyakov remains detained in Latvia pending extradition proceedings.
(–Additional Reporting–)
Kansas Businessman Pleads Guilty in Case over Illegal Export of Aviation Technology to Russia
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas businessman has pleaded guilty to illegally exporting sensitive aviation technology to Russian companies in violation of U.S. sanctions.
Douglas Edward Robertson, who lives in the Kansas City suburb of Olathe, was the second Kansas business executive to plead guilty to charges after being accused of smuggling, money laundering, violating U.S. export regulations, submitting false or misleading information to export regulators and conspiring to commit crimes against the U.S., all for profit. Their arrests and the arrest of a Latvian associate in March 2023 came as the U.S. ramped up sanctions and financial penalties on Russia over its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Robertson, 56, entered his plea Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree in Kansas City. The judge set his sentencing for Oct. 3. Robertson pleaded guilty to four of the 26 counts against him and could face up to 20 years in prison for either the money laundering or export violations convictions.
According to prosecutors, starting in October 2020, the defendants sought to sell electronics that included threat detection systems and flight, navigation and communications controls, to two Russian aircraft parts distributors, a Russian aircraft repair firm and a Russian aircraft services company. They sought to hide their unlicensed activities by going through companies and using bank accounts elsewhere, including Armenia, Cyprus, Germany, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and the United Arab Emirates.
“Those who seek to profit by illegally selling sophisticated U.S. technology to our adversaries are putting the national security of our country at risk," Robert Wells, the executive assistant director of the FBI's National Security Branch, said in a statement.
One of Robertson's attorneys, Branden Bell, declined to comment when reached Wednesday.
U.S. export controls were meant to limit Russia’s access to computer chips and other products needed to equip a modern military. The indictment against Robertson said the electronics he and the other two men sought to export “could make a significant contribution” to another nation's military.
Robertson, a commercial pilot, and Cyril Gregory Buyanovsky, an aviation engineer from Lawrence, operated the KanRus Trading Co. together and worked with Oleg Chistyakov, a Latvian citizen who frequently traveled to the UAE, according to prosecutors.
Buyanovsky pleaded guilty in December to one count of conspiring to launder money and one count of conspiring to commit crimes against the U.S., and his sentencing is set for Nov. 14. There is no indication of whether Chistyakov has been taken into custody, and he has yet to enter a plea, according to online court records.
The indictment charging the three men lists nine exports of aviation electronics to Russian companies from February 2021 through December 2022 and attempts to export electronics once in February 2022 and twice in March 2023.
Prosecutors have said the U.S. government seized $450,000 in electronics blocked from export the day before Buyanovsky and Robertson were arrested.
“Robertson’s guilty plea is reflective of the strong evidence gathered against him by federal investigators and the solid case presented by federal prosecutors,” Kate E. Brubacher, the chief federal prosecutor in Kansas, said in a statement.
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KBI Arrests Northeast Kansas Man for Multiple Child Sex Crimes
NEMAHA COUNTY, Kan. (KPR) - The Kansas Bureau of Investigation has arrested a Nemaha County man for allegedly committing multiple child sex crimes. KBI agents arrested 51-year-old Robert Motto, of Wetmore, Tuesday morning. He's facing four counts of child sex crimes including rape and sodomy. In early April, the Nemaha County Sheriff's Office began investigating the case after a child disclosed the sexual abuse. Soon after, the KBI was asked to join the investigation. During the investigation, additional allegations of sex crimes were discovered. Motto was booked into the Nemaha County Jail with bond set at $500,000.
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U.S. Lawmakers Voice Concerns About Alleged Misconduct at Haskell Indian Nations University
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) - The chairpersons of two U.S. House committees are raising concerns about Haskell Indian Nations University. The Lawrence Journal-World reportsthat the chairs sent a letter to the director of the Bureau of Indian Education, expressing concern over the federal agency’s failure to address problems at Haskell over a variety of issues, including allegations of sexual assault and other serious misconduct. Four Republican lawmakers signed the letter, expressing discontent with how allegations of misconduct at Haskell have been handled.
The Journal-World also reports that a group of Haskell students sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland in 2023 claiming that a lengthy investigation had taken place on campus but had yet to be made public.
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Kansas Governor Laura Kelly States Support for President Joe Biden
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS/KPR) - Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has reiterated her support for President Biden before he meets with Democratic governors today (WED). Ever since Biden’s shaky presidential debate performance last week, some political figures from both parties have said he should pass the nomination off to a younger candidate. But Democratic Governor Laura Kelly has spoken out in support of Biden. In a statement, she said Biden boasts a bipartisan record and a good character. Nancy Boyda, a Democratic candidate for the state’s Second Congressional District, said Biden should suspend his campaign.
(-Additional Reporting -)
From Raising Alarm to Backing Biden, Democrats Grapple with Debate Aftermath
WASHINGTON (AP/KPR) - President Joe Biden's disastrous debate demeanor last week has reverberated across the Democratic Party. It is forcing lawmakers to grapple with a potential crisis that could reach beyond the results of the presidential election. The Democratic president has signaled he has no intention of dropping out of the race against Donald Trump, despite the halting and uneven debate delivery that threw a spotlight on questions about Biden's age and mental capacity to be president. Some Democrats in Congress are raising concern over Biden's ability to show voters he is up to the job. Others are standing firmly behind the 81-year-old president, including Democrats outside of Washington, like Kansas Governor Laura Kelly.
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Kansas Total Tax Collections Back Up in June
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) – June's tax collections in Kansas were higher than expected. Total tax collections last month came in at $1.03 billion. That's $24 million, or 2.4%, more than the estimate. The Kansas Department of Revenue reports that total tax collections are up 3.9% from June of last year. The state ended the month of May with tax collections at nearly $659 million, about 23% below the estimate.
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Department of Justice Reaches Settlement with Wichita Public Schools Following Federal Investigation into Punishment Trends
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) – The Department of Justice and Wichita Public Schools have reached a settlement after a federal investigation found that Black students were punished more often and more severely than other students. In a report released Tuesday, the department also found that students with disabilities made up 98 percent of seclusion and restraint incidents from 2020 to 2023. KMUW reports that the district says it will unveil a new student code of conduct in January. It also will revise several policies that deal with restraining students, dress codes and behavior interventions. It also will eliminate the use of seclusion on students.
(–Additional Reporting–)
U.S. Justice Department Says Discipline Used in Wichita School District Was Discriminatory
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Educators in Kansas’s largest public school district discriminated against Black and disabled students when disciplining them, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, which announced an agreement Tuesday that will have the district revising its policies. Changes the Wichita district has agreed to include restraining unruly students less often and ending the practice of putting misbehaving students alone in rooms by Jan. 1, 2025, the DOJ said.
The district also agreed to offer counseling or tutoring to every student who was confined alone in a room during the past three schools years, with the number of hours matching those for which the student was secluded. The department said the district already is writing a new code of conduct for students and has scheduled crisis-prevention training for staff.
The agreement comes amid an ongoing national debate about classroom discipline and whether punishments for minority and disabled students are disproportionately harsh. The Justice Department has previously reached similar agreements with other school districts in the U.S.
The settlement “sends a powerful message to Kansas schools and schools across the nation to ensure that they must no longer alienate or target Black students or students with disabilities,” said Rocky Nichols, executive director of the Disability Rights Center of Kansas.
The Department of Justice said in a letter to the Wichita district's attorney that it investigated disciplinary practices for the past three school years and visited the district in March 2023. It concluded that the district disciplined Black students more often and more severely than white students.
The DOJ also said that in the more than 3,000 times over three years that the district restrained or secluded students, 98% of those students were disabled. And it noted that hundreds of the cases involved students in kindergarten, first or second grade. More than 40 students were restrained or secluded more than 20 times each, the DOJ said. “We substantiated allegations that the District discriminated against Black students in its administration of school discipline and referral of student conduct to law enforcement,” the department said in its letter. "We also found evidence that the District denied students with disabilities equal opportunity to participate in or benefit from its education program.”
The Wichita district has more than 46,000 students, nearly 10% of all students in Kansas. About 64% of the students are Black, Hispanic or have multiple ethnicities, according to State Department of Education figures, and the state considers nearly 78% to be at risk of failing academically.
The DOJ said the district cooperated throughout its investigation and had “expressed a desire to make positive improvements.” “We can and must create a more equitable school district by changing some of our practices and procedures,” Superintendent Kelly Bielefeld said in an online statement after the Wichita school board approved the agreement. “Safe learning communities — for students and staff — will always be of the utmost importance.”
Disability rights advocates in numerous states for years have criticized restraints and seclusion for disabled students, saying the punishments are overused and dangerous.
In 2022, Iowa's second-largest school district promised to end the use of seclusion rooms after the Department of Justice concluded that it had violated the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. In 2023, Alaska's largest district agreed to stop secluding students and to use restraints only when there is a real risk of physical harm to the student or others.
Kansas law already dictates that restraint can be used only when there is an imminent risk that students will seriously harm themselves or others, according to Nichols. "Wichita public schools should have been following that requirement all along," he said.
In other states, pressure to do more about unruly students has led officials to go in a different direction.
Arkansas last year expanded its restraint law so that — in addition to teachers — other school staff can restrain students in some cases. Some states still allow corporal punishment: A southwestern Missouri district reinstituted student spanking in 2022 as a form of discipline, but only in cases where the parents agree.
In Wichita, the Department of Justice said, the difference in discipline for Black and white girls was “particularly pronounced.” At one middle school, Black girls faced being punished for insubordination 4.5 times as often as white girls and were cited for dress code violations 3.6 times as often, the DOJ letter said. Wichita schools restrained students 1,570 times over three years and put them in seclusion 1,450 times, the letter added. “We concluded that most of the District's restraints and all its seclusions were improper under both District policy and generally accepted practice,” the letter said.
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Children's Mercy Hospital Prepares for Holiday-Related Burns and Injuries
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) – Staff at Children’s Mercy hospital are on alert to treat severe burns ahead of the Independence Day holiday. KCUR reports that last year, 50 kids went to Children's Mercy for firework related injuries in the days leading up to the 4th of July. Many cases involve sparklers, which burn at up to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Another common injury comes from kids holding lit fireworks, according to Laura Kemerling of the hospital’s Center for Childhood Safety. "We see children trying to light fireworks while their holding them that creates a huge risk for not just burn but blast injuries," she said. Kemerling suggests kids wear shoes to protect their feet and goggles for eye protection, while having a parent or guardian present during fireworks use.
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Liberty Hospital Joins University of Kansas Health System
UNDATED (KCUR) – Liberty Hospital in Missouri officially joined the University of Kansas Health System Monday, despite backlash on both sides of the state line. KCUR reports that Liberty Hospital sought a merger to keep up with industry changes and meet growing demand in Platte and Clay counties. The merger faced criticism from lawmakers who didn’t like the idea of an out-of-state hospital running one in Missouri. But Tammy Peterman, president of KU Health’s Kansas City Division, says about 35% of the health system’s patients are already from Missouri. “We knew eventually we would need a way to care for more patients in Missouri and the Northland to keep care close to home," she explains. Peterman adds they’ll focus on ways Liberty Hospital can best be integrated into the health system in the coming months. KU Health System president Bob Page says this route allows Liberty to continue serving future generations. “It is incredibly difficult in health care today to remain a completely independent hospital," he said. "By becoming part of this health system, they will be able to offer some of the most advanced treatments and expertise anywhere in the country.”
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KU Medical Center Researchers to Investigate Lead Exposure in Southeast Kansas
UNDATED (KNS) – Researchers at the University of Kansas Medical Center are working to address lead exposure in southeast Kansas. The Kansas News Service reports that children in that region of the state are four times more likely than the national average to have elevated blood-lead levels due to environmental contamination from the mining industry. Christina Pacheco, an assistant professor at the University of Kansas Medical Center, said lead exposure “...really can impact brain and nervous system damage and development, and lead to learning behavior, hearing and speech problems.”
She says children in Kansas aren’t always tested for lead poisoning until it’s too late. That’s why she’s analyzing data from states that have reduced lead poisoning rates. The goal is to make policy recommendations for Kansas. She’s also working to address rural food deserts, which are exacerbated when residents can’t safely grow home gardens in contaminated soil.
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New K-State Program Focuses on Drinking Water Safety
MANHATTAN, Kan. (KNS) - A new program from Kansas State University is helping rural families check the safety of their drinking water. K-State 105 educates Kansans on testing their well water for pollution that can come from lawn and crop fertilizers and from livestock and pets. It mails information to residents and provides free testing to some. Stacie Minson, a watershed specialist at K-State, says private wells aren’t regulated. “That’s the biggest thing - it’s the responsibility of you as the well owner to know what’s in your water. And so hopefully this helps them do that.” The state environment department, state water plan and Environmental Protection Agency help K-State 105fund this work. To learn about testing well water, contact K-State extension or your county health department.
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KU Medical Center Researchers Seeking Solutions for Food Insecurity in Kansas
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KNS) – With a grant from the Sunflower Foundation, researchers at the University of Kansas Medical Center are working to come up with solutions to food insecurity in Kansas. The Kansas News Service reports that Kristina Bridges is one of the researchers working on the project. She says food insecurity is linked to preventable conditions like type-two diabetes and poor mental health. So they’ve partnered with health centers across Kansas in areas that are defined as food deserts, where people have little or no access to healthy food. Bridges says they’ve connected about 200 patients to healthy groceries. But Bridges says policy changes are needed to give more Kansans access to healthy food and improve health outcomes. “So the question is, could health insurance companies cover the cost of healthy food provision? Could Medicaid, Medicare cover the costs?,” she asked. Bridges says addressing food insecurity will ultimately save money on health costs.
(Editor's note: KPR receives financial support from the Sunflower Foundation.)
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Wichita City Council Approves Agreement to Purchase Shuttered Elementary School for Use as Homeless Shelter
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – The Wichita City Council has approved an agreement to purchase a shuttered elementary school from Wichita Public Schools for a dollar. The Kansas News Service reports that earlier this summer, the city announced its intent to use the former school building as a homeless shelter and resource center. With the approval, the legislature now has 45 days to decide whether it will acquire the building. The city will complete the purchase if the legislature declines. The city must go through a rezoning case and take other steps before renovations begin. It wants to open the emergency winter shelter at the former school by the fall.
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Judge Sides with 16 States, Puts Pause on Biden's Delay of Consideration of Gas Export Projects
LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) — The Biden administration can’t delay consideration of projects aimed at exporting liquefied natural gas while a legal challenge by 16 Republican state Attorneys General plays out in federal court, a Louisiana judge said Monday. U.S. District Judge James Cain, Jr. sided with the states, granting a preliminary injunction that puts the Biden administration’s delay on hold.
It was unlikely, however, that any of the projects would be on a fast track for consideration as the U.S. Department of Energy said late Monday that it disagreed with the court's ruling and was evaluating its next steps. The White House also voiced disappointment. “We remain committed to informing our decisions with the best available economic and environmental analysis, underpinned by sound science,” White House spokesperson Angelo Fernández Hernández said in an email to The Associated Press.
President Joe Biden in January decided his administration would delay consideration of new natural gas export terminals in the United States, even as gas shipments to Europe and Asia soared following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The move aligned the Democrat with environmentalists who fear an increase in exports — in the form of liquefied natural gas, or LNG — is locking in potentially catastrophic planet-warming emissions.
A coalition of states including Louisiana, Alaska, Texas, Kansas, West Virginia and Wyoming sued in March, claiming that the administration was violating the U.S. Constitution and other federal laws by banning exportation of LNG to countries without a free trade agreement.
In temporarily blocking the Biden ban on new approvals, Cain said the states will likely succeed in their case. He cited evidence submitted by the plaintiffs that showed loss of revenues and deferred investments in LNG projects due to the Biden administration's actions.
The ruling comes just days after a federal commission approved what would be the nation’s largest export terminal for liquefied natural gas. Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass 2 southwestern Louisiana project, often referred to as CP2, was approved last week with little discussion by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
That project still needs DOE approval. The agency has said the project’s application was pending.
Republican members of Congress from Louisiana to Alaska have derided the administration's pause as shortsighted and a boon to foreign adversaries that produce energy, including Iran and Russia. Other supporters have argued that projects such as CP2 will be critical to global energy security.
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Ex-KU Stars Chalmers, Collins File Class-Action Lawsuit vs. NCAA, Others over March Madness
NEW YORK (AP) — Former University of Kansas stars Mario Chalmers and Sherron Collins are among 16 former men’s college basketball players who have sued the NCAA and multiple conferences, claiming they are profiting from the unauthorized use of their names, images and likenesses in promoting and monetizing the March Madness tournament.
Chalmers hit a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left to force overtime in the 2008 national championship game against Memphis on the way to the title. The lawsuit says the NCAA and Turner Sports Interactive – another defendant – have profited from replaying Chalmers’ shot without paying him.
The Big East, Pac-12, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and ACC also are defendants in the class-action lawsuit, filed Monday in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York.
“The NCAA has conspired with conferences, colleges, licensing companies, and apparel companies to fix the price of student-athlete labor near zero and make student-athletes unwitting and uncompensated lifetime pitchmen for the NCAA,” the lawsuit states.
The suit said March Madness generates close to $1 billion in annual revenue for the NCAA, but none has gone to the plaintiffs, who are seeking unspecified damages.
“The NCAA’s illegal conduct has damaged plaintiffs by diminishing their opportunity to maximize their compensation for their publicity rights, including their rights related to images related to the most profitable portion of NCAA’s revenue, basketball,” the suit says. “The full amount of this damage is currently unknown, and it continues to increase as the NCAA and its affiliates and co-conspirators continue to profit from the NCAA’s ongoing, uninterrupted usurpation of plaintiffs’ and class members publicity rights.”
An NCAA spokesperson declined comment Wednesday. The organization is already facing a number of federal lawsuits challenging its longstanding amateurism model and the case comes amidst dramatic changes that cleared the way for compensation of athletes.
A 2021 decision by the NCAA to allow athletes to earn endorsement money opened the door for millions of dollars in spending that has, among other things, changed how schools and donor-backed efforts target recruits. In May, the NCAA and the nation’s five biggest conferences agreed to pay nearly $2.8 billion to settle a host of antitrust claims, setting the stage for a revenue-sharing model that would send millions of dollars directly to athletes as soon as next year.
Other plaintiffs include Ryan Boatright (Connecticut), A.J. Bramlett, Eugene Edgerson and Jason Terry (Arizona), James Cunningham (Arizona State and Tulsa), Alex Oriakhi (Connecticut and Missouri) and Matt Pressey (Missouri).
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Newly Built CPKC Stadium of the KC Current to Host NWSL Championship Game in November
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The championship game of the National Women's Soccer League will be played Nov. 23 at CPKC Stadium, the home of the Kansas City Current and one of the first purpose-built stadiums for a professional women's team in the world.
The league made the announcement Wednesday.
The $120 million, privately funded facility opened earlier this year on the banks of the Missouri River, just north of downtown Kansas City. The Current have sold out every match so far this season at the 11,500-seat stadium.
Last year's championship game drew a record 25,011 fans to Snapdragon Stadium, the home of San Diego State football and the NWSL's San Diego Wave. NJ/NY Gotham FC beat Seattle Reign FC 2-1 to win its first league title.
The Current play the Orlando Pride on Saturday night in a matchup of the NWSL's top two teams. Both are unbeaten with 10 wins and five draws, and the two clubs have the exact same goal differential through 15 matches.
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