Paul Finebaum calls Tennessee case a ‘non-starter’ for NCAA

As the list of legal challenges against the NCAA grows, one high-profile case is going through the system in Tennessee. The state’s attorney general, along with Virginia’s, filed a suit challenging the organization’s NIL rules – and while a temporary restraining order was denied, a preliminary injunction hearing is coming up next week.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey discussed the case with Paul Finebaum earlier this week, pointing out the list of cases through the NCAA’s enforcement process “distracts us from solving the big problems” on The Paul Finebaum Show. Tennessee isn’t the only SEC school under NCAA investigation for alleged NIL violations. Florida is also at the center of an inquiry related to the recruitment of Jaden Rashada.

Those comments were similar to the ones Sankey made in a conversation with Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger. With that in mind, Finebaum told On3’s Andy Staples the Tennessee case likely won’t amount to much.

“Anyone who believes that Tennessee is going to spend a day in NCAA jail doesn’t understand what’s going on here,” Finebaum said on Andy Staples On3. “This is a non-starter for the NCAA, and I think that’s really what Sankey was trying to say. I think Greg would have always preferred to handle things behind the scenes. … The funny thing was all these statements came out, Andy, while the ADs were meeting last week – including the Tennessee AD – in New Orleans.”

Greg Sankey: Six months worth of college sports news was ‘compressed into 24 hours’

The NIL-related cases the NCAA is facing are just one part of the conversation around college sports. Earlier this week, the National Labor Relations Board regional director said Dartmouth men’s basketball players are employees of the university and have the right to hold a union election. In addition, two senators — Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) – reintroduced the NCAA Accountability Act, yet another challenge for the NCAA.

If it seems like a lot in a short amount of time, Sankey said it is.

“Just look at the last 24 hours, I’d say everything causes issues,” Sankey said. “You have an announcement among three media entities about a new streaming service. You have the situation at Dartmouth, its release. You have other court filings, you have this decision about the temporary restraining order not being granted in a particular matter involving the Tennessee and Virginia attorneys general.

“That used to be like six months worth of news and college sports that’s all compressed into 24 hours and that’s just the cycle we work on.”