Vols senior Jackson Lampley files declaration in NCAA NIL lawsuit

Tennessee football senior offensive lineman, and Nashville native, Jackson Lampley has filed his own declaration in the state’s lawsuit against the NCAA over NIL, according to Knox News.  

The statement was six pages long and filed in the Eastern District of Tennessee federal court. Throughout the statement, the in-state student-athlete broke down his experiences as a college football player and collegiate student while also expressing his interest to testify in the lawsuit if needed.  

Lampley has played in 37 career games – starting the season finale against Vanderbilt and the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day at right guard. He was originally recruited, committed and signed with Tennessee as part of the Class of 2019. After seeing action in two games as a true freshman, the offensive lineman did not see action over the course of the 2020 season but played in every game as a junior and senior.

Starring at Montgomery Bell Academy, Lampley was a four-star recruit and the son of Brad Lampley who played for the Vols mid-1990s. He’s been a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and announced his return for his sixth-season in the program earlier this year.

“Almost every recruit I meet with asks first and foremost about NIL. But they also ask about all the same factors I considered in the pre-NIL world,” Lampley said in the court filing, according to Knox News. “Just like finances are a factor for every other college student’s decision for where to enroll, how much weight a recruit puts on financial costs and opportunities ought to be up to them, as simply part of finding the right fit for a given athlete’s circumstances.

“In my observation, NIL has become one of the top factors that current recruits consider when determining where to go to school.”

Sports Illustrated first reported the news that Tennessee was once again under NCAA inquiry on Tuesday. The New York Times reported that same day of an alleged flight regarding then-quarterback recruit Nico Iamaleava that could be the focus of the investigation. Since, Tennessee Chancellor Donde Plowman, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Senator Marsha Blackburn have all issued statements in support of the university. Plowman’s response was a three-page letter to NCAA president Charlie Baker, where she was highly-critical and one where she did not back down from on Wednesday.  

The NCAA released its own statement on the matter on Wednesday.

“While the NCAA generally does not comment on specific infractions cases, it is important to remember that NCAA member schools and conferences not only make the rules but routinely call for greater enforcement of those rules and holding violators accountable,” the NCAA statement read. “In recent years, this has been especially true as it relates to establishing and enforcing a consistent set of national rules intended to manage the name, image and likeness environment.

“This legal action would exacerbate what our members themselves have frequently described as a “wild west” atmosphere, further titling competitive imbalance among schools in neighboring states, and diminishing protections for student-athletes from potential exploitation. The NCAA remains firmly committed to protecting and expanding student-athletes’ NIL rights and opportunities. However, our membership has steadfastly supported the prohibition on impermissible recruiting contacts, booster involvement in recruiting prospects and the use of NIL offers as recruiting inducements.”

Tennessee Athletics Director Danny White fired back on Thursday.

“The NCAA generally does not comment on infractions cases because there is a rule against it; however, that has not stopped them in the past from leaking information to the media as they did this week about us,” White’s statement read. “Their actions made this ill-conceived investigation public and forced us to defend ourselves.

“It is clear that the NCAA staff does not understand what is happening at the campus level all over the country in the NIL space. After reviewing thousands of Tennessee coach and personnel phone records, NCAA investigators didn’t find a single NIL violation, so they moved the goalpost to fit a predetermined outcome. They are stating that the nebulous, contradictory NIL guidelines (written by the NCAA not the membership) don’t matter and applying the old booster bylaws to collectives. If that’s the case, then 100% of the major programs in college athletics have significant violations. This is obviously silly and not productive, as is blaming membership whenever they are challenged. We need to be spending out time and energy on solutions to better organize college athletics in the NIL era – something that NCAA leadership failed to do back in 2021. Student-athletes, prospective student-athletes, coaches, and administrators across the country deserve better, and I refuse to allow the NCAA to irrationally use Tennessee as an example for their own agenda.”

The message from White follows the NCAA statement released on Wednesday amid public backlash towards the organization – in support of the university – and following a joint lawsuit from the attorney general’s offices of Tennessee and Virginia earlier that day.

As of Thursday, Tennessee has yet to receive a formal notice of allegations.