A new NCAA policy revealed this week will require agents advising prospective NBA players to have college degrees — which has some people questioning whether the organization was targeting NBA power broker Rich Paul.
The new certification policy, which also decrees that agents must have NBPA certification for at least three consecutive years, possess professional liability insurance and complete an in-person exam at the NCAA office in Indianapolis, has been nicknamed the “Rich Paul Rule” in honor of LeBron James’ agent.
Paul has not gone to college and does not have a bachelor’s degree, so under the new rule, he wouldn’t be able to represent underclassmen considering a jump to the NBA. Paul attended high school at Benedictine, a private Roman Catholic high school in Cleveland, and befriended James during his time there. Eventually, that led to Paul forming Klutch Sports Group, which now represents NBA stars like James, Anthony Davis, Draymond Green and Ben Simmons.
Here is the memo that was sent to agents yesterday regarding the new rules for representing clients that are “testing the waters for the NBA Draft.”
The NCAA refers to it as “protecting the eligibility of their client athletes.”
Yeah, this is a bad look for the NCAA. pic.twitter.com/JhzN1c6NyJ
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) August 6, 2019
ba
Sports Illustrated legal analyst Michael McCann believes Paul and others could bring a legal case against the NCAA over the new criteria.
“Paul, and other agents excluded by the NCAA’s criteria, could argue that the criteria violate federal antitrust law,” he writes. “Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act prohibits competing businesses from conspiring in ways that unreasonably interfere with competition. Section 1 is intended to limit opportunities for competing businesses to combine their economic power to the detriment of the marketplace.”`
Count James among those who think Paul has a case.
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 6, 2019
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop! They BIG MAD 😡 and Scared 😱. Nothing will stop this movement and culture over here. Sorry! Not sorry. 😁✌🏾
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 6, 2019
#StayWoke pic.twitter.com/SNtEgqrWhE
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 7, 2019
Editor’s Note: RealClearLife, a news and lifestyle publisher, is now a part of InsideHook. Together, we’ll be covering current events, pop culture, sports, travel, health and the world. Subscribe here for our free daily newsletter.
Whether you’re looking to get into shape, or just get out of a funk, The Charge has got you covered. Sign up for our new wellness newsletter today.
