• Loading stock data...
Saturday, June 14, 2025

At Trial Over College Athlete Employment, Ins and Outs of Shoe Deals Take Center Stage

  • The Trojans’ assistant AD testified on Wednesday that he was unsure whether players could wear basketball shoes from Nike competitor Adidas.
  • The answer, a firm no, is well-known across the industry.
Feb 21, 2019; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Detailed view of the Nike personalized shoes of Southern California Trojans guard Kevin Porter Jr. (4) in the second half against the Oregon Ducks at the Galen Center.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

During testimony in a trial over college athlete employment on Wednesday, a high-ranking USC athletic department employee claimed ignorance over one of the most well-known concepts in Division I college sports: shoe deals.

Ryan Cohan, assistant AD for women’s basketball operations, testified that he was unsure whether women’s basketball players were permitted to wear Adidas shoes during games, given that USC has an apparel contract with Nike. He was asked in the context of whether USC forces athletes to wear certain apparel—and, after a long pause and a request for “clarification,” he determined that he did not know the answer.

The National Labor Relations Board case, brought by an advocacy group called the National College Players Association, is examining whether USC football and basketball players should be deemed employees of the school, the school’s conference, and the NCAA. Rules about minute details of athletes’ lives—including what shoes they can wear—could speak to whether USC exercises enough control over players to constitute an employee-employer relationship. Cohan, as well as other USC witnesses, evaded direct answers to other questions that relate to the control issue.

Cohan’s testimony was particularly shocking coming from a longtime college athletics administrator and current USC athletics employee, given that rules surrounding apparel contracts are common knowledge in college sports. Across D-I basketball, players cannot wear a shoe brand that directly competes with their school’s apparel contract during games. Often, players can’t wear these brands in other official capacities, such as when engaging in team activities. In some cases, they’re prohibited from inking name, image, and likeness deals with competing shoe companies, even if they vow not to wear these brands in competition. (Women’s basketball shoe company Moolah Kicks devised an entire marketing strategy around the fact that its sponsor athletes could only wear their shoes off the court.)

The trial continued Thursday with discussion over the admittance of documentary evidence, and it is expected to go at least another week, with a third session in late February. If the NCPA’s side wins the case, amateurism could be deemed illegal under U.S. labor law.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Jun 10, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino stands during the anthem against the Switzerland during the first at Geodis Park

Gold Cup Is Complicated for USMNT—but U.S. Soccer Has Its Eyes on..

Uncertain tournament success isn’t fazing forward-looking U.S. soccer.

Thunder Win Sets Up First 6-Game NBA Finals in 4 Years

It will be the first Finals series of at least six games since 2022.
Tennessee wide receiver Grant Frerking (0) drills during fall practice at Haslam Field in Knoxville, Tenn. on Friday, Aug. 6, 2021.

Ex-Tennessee Football Player, On3 Staffer Accused of Financial Scams

Grant Frerking parted ways with On3 amid “allegations of criminal misconduct.”
Hilary Knight

The PWHL Badly Wants Parity. At What Cost?

The expansion draft has turned Seattle and Vancouver into instant title contenders. 

Featured Today

Jan 24, 2017; Davidson, NC, USA; The Davidson Wildcats student section cheers during the first half against the Duquesne Dukes at McKillop Court at John M. Belk Arena. Davidson defeated Duquesne 74-60.

Every College Wants a Flashy Basketball GM Hire Right Now

The role is more important than ever, and the definition is ever-evolving.
August 31, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; The Goodyear blimp flies over Ohio Stadium during the first half of Saturday’s NCAA Division I football game between the Akron Zips and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
June 6, 2025

Why the Goodyear Blimp Is at Every Major Sports Event

The airship wasn’t built to cover sports. Now it’s a regular presence.
May 27, 2015; Paris, France; Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO) knocks the clay off her shoe during her match against Simona Halep (ROU) on day four of the French Open at Roland Garros
June 4, 2025

Roland-Garros’s Iconic Red-Clay Surface Is a Precise Alchemy

The exact science behind maintaining the French Open’s red clay.
Alex Jensen introductory press conference on Monday, March 17, 2025.
June 3, 2025

Alex Jensen Started Utah Utes HC Job While Still Coaching the Mavs

How Jensen began building an NCAA program while patrolling the Dallas sideline.
UT

Zakai Zeigler Denied Injunction for Fifth Year at Tennessee

The former Tennessee guard sued the NCAA over potential lost NIL earnings.
Mar 7, 2025; Greenville, SC, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores guard Leilani Kapinus (5) looks to pass against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the second half at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
June 11, 2025

Group of Women Athletes Files Appeal of House v. NCAA Settlement Approval

It’s the first appeal of the landmark settlement, which was approved Friday.
North Dakota Fighting Hawks guard Zach Kraft (1) shoots the ball on Friday, March 7, 2025, at Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, S.D.
June 12, 2025

House v. NCAA Settlement Is Here. Non-Power Conference Schools Still Have Questions

D-I administrators still have questions they haven’t gotten answered.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Ted Leonsis unpacks basketball’s global rise, media rights, and portfolio ownership.
Ohio State
June 10, 2025

Men’s College Basketball Adds Coach’s Challenge, but No Quarters—Yet

The NBA adopted the challenge rule before the 2019–20 season. 
U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) asks a question during at a House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education hearing on antisemitism in K-12 schools on May 8, 2024 in Washington.
June 10, 2025

House Reps Introduce Two Drafts of Pro-NCAA College Sports Legislation

Both bills would satisfy the NCAA and power conferences’ congressional wishlist.
Angela Suggs
June 10, 2025

Florida A&M Athletic Director Arrested For Credit Card Fraud 

Angela Suggs turned herself into authorities Monday.
Dec 31, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Boise State Broncos wide receiver Latrell Caples (3) against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium.
exclusive
June 9, 2025

Boise State Expects Private-Equity Investment ‘Within the Next Six Months’

The Broncos are “actively considering” PE investment.