Cortez Braham Sues NCAA to Keep Playing College Football at Nevada
University of Nevada (Reno) wide receiver Cortez Braham Jr. sued the NCAA on Tuesday in hopes of becoming eligible for his seventh season in college sports and fourth as a Division I athlete. Braham joins a growing list of college athletes who have sued the NCAA with antitrust claims in hopes of obtaining court orders […]
University of Nevada (Reno) wide receiver Cortez Braham Jr. sued the NCAA on Tuesday in hopes of becoming eligible for his seventh season in college sports and fourth as a Division I athlete.
Braham joins a growing list of college athletes who have sued the NCAA with antitrust claims in hopes of obtaining court orders that enable them to play after exhausting NCAA eligibility. The players, who have enjoyed mixed results in court, argue they would lose out on lucrative NIL deals and the chance to further their development as NFL prospects unless they can keep playing. One complicating factor is that the NCAA is not a pro sports league but instead a member organization that oversees full-time college students who play sports and who must maintain academic requirements.
Braham is one of the Wolf Pack’s best players. Starting all 13 games in 2024, the 6’2”, 201-pound receiver was second on the team in receptions (56) and in receiving yards (724). If Braham’s eligible to play this fall, he says he would land a “once-in-a-lifetime NIL contract opportunity worth nearly $500,000” in addition to augmenting his skills in hopes of a career in pro football.
But Braham is not currently eligible under NCAA rules to play in the 2025-26 academic year. NCAA eligibility rules limit an athlete’s participation in NCAA sports to five calendar years from when the athlete begins studying at a college and four seasons of intercollegiate competition (including junior college competition) in any one sport. The rules also limit junior college transfers to a maximum of three years of D-I sports.
Braham’s college journey began in 2019, when he graduated from Westwood High School in Blythewood, S.C. A three-star rated prospect by ESPN and 247Sports, Braham enrolled at Hutchinson Community College (HCC) in Kansas and played for the school’s team, the Blue Dragons, which competes in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).
Braham played three seasons (2019, 2020 and 2021) for the Blue Dragons, which won the NJCAA national championship in 2021. The receiver intended to transfer to West Virginia University in 2021, but his GPA of 2.47 was too low. The NCAA requires a 2.5 GPA for a JUCO player to transfer and play at a four-year school, a standard that Braham points out is higher than the academic requirements the NCAA stipulates for an athlete to transfer from one four-year school to another.
Braham raised his GPA and transferred to WVU, where he played two seasons (2022 and 2023). He then transferred to Nevada for his 2024 season.
Braham believed he would be eligible to play at Nevada this fall given the aftermath of Vanderbilt quarterback and former junior college transfer Diego Pavia’s litigation play in 2025. After Pavia secured an injunction last December, the NCAA granted a waiver to allow similarly situated former JUCO players to play a fourth year of D-I in 2025 (The NCAA has appealed the court ruling in Pavia’s favor to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit). Pavia had played two seasons of JUCO football and then, like Braham, three in D-I.
But according to Braham, Nevada has refused to file a waiver on his behalf with the NCAA—a required step for attempting to continue his eligibility. The complaint refers to Nevada athletic administrators allegedly telling Braham and his representatives that while the university would not file a waiver, he could hire an attorney and sue the NCAA in hopes of securing a favorable court order. Braham’s complaint says his “inability to seek assistance from the NCAA directly” is “yet another example of the NCAA erecting procedural barriers that disproportionately burden JUCO athletes.”
Drafted by attorneys Brandon D. Wright and Gregg E. Clifton of Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, Braham’s complaint raises what have become familiar antitrust arguments against NCAA eligibility rules. These rules are portrayed as unlawfully restraining the labor market for players and denying those players a chance to (1) earn NIL money—which reflects not only an athlete’s individualized marketability but the athlete’s association with a collegiate program; (2) further hone their talents in preparation for a career in the pros; and (3) receive the educational benefits of college courses. Braham seeks a court declaration and an injunction.
The NCAA did not respond to a request for comment, but its attorneys will answer Braham’s complaint in court. The NCAA and supporters of NCAA eligibility rules have argued that antitrust laws ought not to apply since eligibility rules are arguably more about education than commercial activities. These rules are described as appropriate for college sports given the role of education, and they can harmonize athletic and academic expectations. Also, by ensuring that college players can’t pursue long-term or indefinite careers in college football, the rules allegedly distinguish college sports as distinct from minor league sports.
U.S. District Judge Miranda M. Du and U.S. Magistrate Judge Craig S. Denney of the federal district court in Nevada will preside over Cortez v. NCAA.
Drake Athletics Prepared to Evolve with Changing Landscape of College Athletics
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Bulldog Nation, Thank you for your continued support of Drake Athletics and our more than 370 student-athletes. Your generosity plays a vital role in our ability to provide a championship-level athletic experience and an elite education—hallmarks of the Drake University student-athlete journey. Over the past few years, the […]
Thank you for your continued support of Drake Athletics and our more than 370 student-athletes. Your generosity plays a vital role in our ability to provide a championship-level athletic experience and an elite education—hallmarks of the Drake University student-athlete journey.
Over the past few years, the landscape of collegiate athletics has changed dramatically. The introduction of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), expanded transfer rules, and several landmark legal cases have fundamentally reshaped the NCAA model.
Now, with the approval of the House v. NCAA settlement, a new chapter begins—and Drake University is prepared to meet it with clarity, purpose, and an unwavering commitment to student-athlete success. We do so in a manner consistent with the values of our institution and department so that we may provide opportunities and experiences relative to our present and aspirant peer groups.
What This Means
Beginning July 1, NCAA institutions who are members of conferences outside of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC, will be permitted to opt into the terms delineated in the House v. NCAA settlement. The most publicized aspect of the settlement is that NCAA Division I athletics departments that “opt in” will have the ability to directly share revenue with student-athletes and manage NIL agreements at the institutional level. These shifts represent a significant transformation in how college athletics operates—but they also offer tremendous opportunity.
After much deliberation and evaluation, Drake University has opted in to the settlement and is ready to embrace this new era. At our core, our pursuit of sustained excellence in the classroom, competition, and community remains the same. For us to remain competitive and relevant, we must be willing to adjust with the changing times, especially in the sport of basketball. The pride and enjoyment our men’s and women’s basketball teams have provided us in recent years has also served as a reminder to the significance their success has on the rest of the department. In short, our basketball programs and the Drake Relays are the rising tide that lifts all other boats in our department. In order for all of our student-athletes and sport programs to grow, we must position our basketball programs and Drake Relays to flourish.
Supporting Bulldogs Through Revenue Sharing
One of the most important elements of this transition is the ability to directly support student-athletes through revenue sharing. For Drake, that means the generous contributions you make—especially tax-deductible gifts to Drake Athletics—are now eligible to be part of this shared revenue model.
To support this shift, we’ve established two dedicated funds:
Drake Men’s Basketball Excellence Fund
Drake Women’s Basketball Excellence Fund
These funds are managed by Drake Athletics and directly benefit the greatest needs of our basketball programs. They have a direct impact on the operating budget of these programs as well as the student-athletes, coaches, and support staff of these teams. This will also be your way to provide financial resources for our student-athletes.
While Men’s and Women’s Basketball are the initial programs we have established Excellence Funds for, if supporters of other Drake programs are interested in providing financial support to create revenue sharing opportunities for other Drake student-athletes, that ability is also available and can be discussed with myself or Tim Tesar, Sr. Associate Athletics Director, (tim.tesar@drake.edu or 515-271-2132).
The Excellence Funds can be supported via one-time or recurring online gifts, donor-advised funds, stock donations, IRA distributions, or check. All contributions are a gift to Drake, and qualify for Bulldog Club benefits and DAPPS points.
These new funds are institutionally managed, tax-exempt, and focused on both recruitment and retention. They offer a clear, impactful, and compliant way to help Drake stay competitive while directly enhancing the student-athlete experience. Creation of an Excellence Fund budget and agreement on disbursement of Excellence Funds will be a collaborative effort between a head coach and sport administrator. In the sport of men’s and women’s basketball, I serve as the sport administrator and will work closely with Coach Henderson and Coach Pohlman on identification of their program’s greatest needs. As we move forward, Excellence Funds will be the preferred funds for supporting our athletes in this new era.
A New Model for NIL
As part of this realignment, we’re also evolving our relationship with DU Great Collective, our official NIL collective supporting Drake Men’s and Women’s Basketball. We’re deeply grateful for the role DU Great played during the early NIL era and for the leadership of many including, but not limited to, Kyle Mertz, Ryan Boatman, Mike Nixon, Kurt Brewer, Pat Schneider, Becca Mataloni, Spencer Harsch, Ted Brewer, Doug Shull, Louie Laurent, and Brook Rosenberg. Together, we’ve determined that Drake Athletics will primarily lead efforts to manage NIL opportunities for basketball student-athletes. The services provided to our student-athletes who benefited from a relationship with DU Great (interactions with local charities and community groups, compensation through NIL activities, taxation forms, etc.) will now be performed by Drake Athletics. DU Great will not dissolve for a myriad of reasons but individuals who financially supported DU Great, whether on a one-time, occasional, annual, or monthly basis, will be asked to continue their support through the aforementioned Excellence Funds of a specific sport at Drake.
Looking Ahead
We know you’ll have questions—and we’re committed to communicating clearly as these changes take hold. I recently sat down with Michael Admire for a podcast to discuss these shifts in greater detail. I invite you to watch or listen to our conversation [link to podcast below].
Drake Athletics continues to thrive because of the culture built by our coaches, staff, and student-athletes—and the loyalty of our fans and donors. To sustain this momentum and reach even greater heights, we must continue investing in our programs in new and meaningful ways.
Thank you for standing with us—and for helping lead the Bulldogs into this next era of excellence.
Editor’s Note: The Courier-Tribune is recognizing athletes from Smithville High School who are already currently playing in college or recently finished up their collegiate careers.… Login to continue reading
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Editor’s Note: The Courier-Tribune is recognizing athletes from Smithville High School who are already currently playing in college or recently finished up their collegiate careers.…
He’s one of the best volleyball players in Pennsylvania. He’s put up eye-popping numbers, some of those digits reminiscent of video-game numbers. He averaged 10 kills a set. Not a match. Just one set. Yet, spend a few minutes with Holy Redeemer’s Josh Rocha, and it’s never about him. Sure, the senior hitter had goals. But […]
He’s one of the best volleyball players in Pennsylvania.
He’s put up eye-popping numbers, some of those digits reminiscent of video-game numbers. He averaged 10 kills a set. Not a match. Just one set.
Yet, spend a few minutes with Holy Redeemer’s Josh Rocha, and it’s never about him.
Sure, the senior hitter had goals. But it wasn’t any kind of individual accolades. Instead, everything was team focused. Especially winning a district title.
“For me, it was about learning to be the best teammate that I could be, and also, just having fun because it was my senior year,” he said.
Rocha accomplished both.
He made memories on the court with his friends, and was able to drape a gold medal around his neck. For his efforts, Rocha is the Citizens’ Voice Boys’ Volleyball Performer of the Year. It’s the second consecutive year he’s been named as the Voice’s top player.
There isn’t much missing from his resume.
He’s the program’s all-time leader in kills.
He helped Holy Redeemer back to the top perch in the District 2 Class 2A volleyball world.
He also guided the Royals into the state quarterfinals.
Rocha’s numbers are unbelievable. He finished with 956 kills, which ranked No. 1 in the country, according to MaxPreps. He added 91 service points, 31 aces, 75 blocks and 125 digs.
The senior sat down with The Voice to talk about his senior year, what it meant to win a district gold medal in his final season, and about his future at Penn State.
Q: You entered this season as the featured hitter at Holy Redeemer, which brings a lot of pressure and attention. Talk about the expectations and the pressure of that spot.
A: For me, the expectations didn’t come with any pressure because I’ve been in this situation before. The past four years, I’ve always been a varsity starter, so I really didn’t feel any type of additional pressure. My coaches, teammates and family, they have always kind of alleviated that pressure. We came into the season expecting more than last year. Although we did lose a lot of players, we really wanted to get that district title, especially myself, because I didn’t get a district title in my first three years. We were really hungry to win, and we came in every day and put the work in.
Q: You did lose a lot of talented players from last year’s team. What was it like at the first practice with a group of newer athletes in the lineup?
A: It was overwhelming at times, but also, every day, I was really hopeful. Each day, we would look better than the day before. It was a constant growth from every single one of those players. I was so just proud of every one of them because they put in the time to get better.
Q: What was the bond like between you and your setter, Jack Wasiakowski?
A: I would say, this year, we were a lot closer. Our connection was great. His location was so good this year, and I am so proud of him. He’s going to do a lot of big things next year. That connection, it’s so important. He would always say that he would just put the ball up there for me to slam it because he trusted me. I think it’s so important to have that level of trust.
Q: You put up some really big numbers this year. One match, you had over 50 kills. Do you ever look back at the stat sheet the next day, and just say to yourself, “Whoa, I just did something pretty special?”
A: Honestly, I would always say to myself that I could do better. I always push for that next level.
Q: What was the feeling like when you finally got that district championship that you were striving for?
A: It was awesome because I was finally holding that gold medal after all these years. I’m just glad that I did it with this team because I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else. I didn’t know what to do. I just took a few deep breaths and said to myself that this was really it, and I accomplished a major goal.
Q: How have you grown over the last four years?
A: I learned a lot about myself, actually. It is time-consuming to be a student-athlete, but I wouldn’t trade my experiences for anything. It’s something I love doing, and I am glad that the freshman me decided to play volleyball.
Q: Talk about your future. What does the next few months look like?A: I am taking some time. Right now, I am playing volleyball for Prevail and I am going to nationals in Florida. After that, I am going to attend Penn State where I am going to study pre-med and play volleyball.
Q: What was the decision like to attend Penn State to study pre-med?
A: It was a tough decision, but I kind of felt like I always wanted to go to Penn State. I’ve talked with all of my friends that are on that pre-med track and they all love it. Their experiences have also pushed me to go there.
Q: If you would, pass along some words of advice to the underclassmen or someone thinking about playing volleyball at Holy Redeemer.
A: Growth doesn’t happen right away. It’s a long process, especially for myself. These past two years, people have started to see me shine. My freshman and sophomore years, I didn’t get all that glory. It’s about that hard work. If you keep working hard, you are going to get there in no time.
Seven Cowichan schools represented at track and field provincials
The 2025 B.C. High School Sports provincial track and field championships took place in Langley June 5-7 and there were no shortage of athletes representing the Cowichan Valley. Students from Frances Kelsey, Queen Margaret’s School, Ladysmith, Quamichan School, Chemainus Secondary, Brentwood College School,and Shawnigan Lake School all participated and some even brought home medals. Frances Kelsey […]
The 2025 B.C. High School Sports provincial track and field championships took place in Langley June 5-7 and there were no shortage of athletes representing the Cowichan Valley.
Students from Frances Kelsey, Queen Margaret’s School, Ladysmith, Quamichan School, Chemainus Secondary, Brentwood College School,and Shawnigan Lake School all participated and some even brought home medals.
Frances Kelsey
The bronze medallist last year, Kelsey Grade 12 high jumper Nova Wedmann-Kent improved her result to a silver this year in the senior girls category. Wedmann-Kent also ran the senior girls 100m and 200m races but did not qualify for the finals.
Kelsey tenth grader Charlotte Gough finished third in the junior girls 800m preliminaries and fifth overall. She also raced to fifth in the junior girls 1500m preliminaries and went on to place seventh overall — a three spot improvement over last year’s 10th place.
Queen Margaret’s School
Jessica Tshibangu of Queen Margaret’s School placed seventh overall in the junior girls high jump and 12th in the long jump. Schoolmate Cohen Bartfai was ninth in the junior boys long jump after a second-place finish in the Grade 8 division last year.
Grade 12 jumper Mike Chen was 19th in the senior boys triple jump finals while Grade 10 thrower Elsie Jones was 27th in the junior girls shot put.
Ethan Chen made the provincials in the senior boys high jump but did not jump.
Ladysmith Secondary
Four members of the Ladysmith track team made the provincials including William Cram, Skyla Lewis, Lila Jeffries, and Lina Anh Chay.
Cram was first in the junior boys 800m preliminaries and went on to earn the silver medal in the final. Also, after placing third in his preliminary race, Cram was sixth overall in the junior boys 400m race.
Lila Jeffries placed 12th in the junior girls hammer throw event.
Lina Anh Chay was 18th in the junior girls javelin final.
Skyla Lewis was 28th overall in the junior girls 3000m race. She was 18th in the 1500m preliminary and did not advance to the 1500m final.
Brentwood College School
The lone athlete from BCS at this year’s track and field provincials was Ava Heenan. The 400m specialist participated in both the senior girls 400m dash and 400m hurdles. In the hurdles, she placed ninth in the preliminaries, just outside of a spot in the final. In the 400m dash, the Grade 11 athlete placed 21st in the preliminaries and did not advance.
Shawnigan Lake School
Grade 12 thrower Thabisa Mangena-Jellema’s top result was 11th in the senior girls discus. She also participated in the senior girls shot put event, placing 21st overall.
Quamichan School
Tate McGeachy was the lone Quamichan School representative and he placed 16th overall in the Grade 8 boys 400m dash preliminaries, missing the finals.
Chemainus Secondary
Iza Durante represented Chemainus at the provincials and placed 11th in the 400m dash preliminaries, missing the final.
RTL Group has acquired Sky Deutschland (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), for €150m, creating a media business with some 11.5m subscribers. The deal – which is subject to regulatory approvals – combines Sky’s premium sports rights, including Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, Premier League and Formula 1, with RTL’s entertainment and news brands across RTL+, free-to-air and pay TV. It […]
RTL Group has acquired Sky Deutschland (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), for €150m, creating a media business with some 11.5m subscribers.
The deal – which is subject to regulatory approvals – combines Sky’s premium sports rights, including Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, Premier League and Formula 1, with RTL’s entertainment and news brands across RTL+, free-to-air and pay TV. It also unites the streaming platforms RTL+ and WOW.
RTL Group chief executive Thomas Rabe described the deal as “transformational for RTL Group”.
He said: “It will bring together two of the most powerful entertainment and sports brands in Europe and create a unique video proposition across free TV, pay TV and streaming.
“It will boost our streaming business, with a total of around 11.5 million paying subscribers, further diversify our revenue streams and make us even more attractive for creative talent, rights holders and business partners.”
Rabe said the synergies are estimated to be around €250 million per annum within three years after closing, creating “significant shareholder value”.
He added: “Together, RTL and Sky will be in an even stronger position to invest in people, content and technology in Germany and in Europe to compete with the global tech and streaming players. I want to recognise the outstanding work of the Sky Deutschland team, whose strong performance over recent years has laid the foundation for this next phase.”
Rights deals and strategic content partnerships
At the end of 2023, RTL Deutschland and Sky Deutschland struck a two-year partnership for seven Formula 1 races to be broadcast live on RTL in Germany, alongside one game from the English Premier League per match week on RTL+, and three conference broadcasts of the 2nd Bundesliga on RTL.
As part of the commercial agreement, Sky Deutschland received rights to two Europa League or Europa Conference League games per match week, providing subscribers access to premium live sport every Thursday.
At the time, RTL said “sharing live sport and content is the start of a broader partnership between RTL Deutschland and Sky Deutschland, with the ambition of finding further ways to share content in the future”.
And, at the end of last year, RTL Deutschland secured for the 2025/6 Bundesliga season onwards the exclusive free-to-air TV rights to broadcast the Saturday evening games of the 2. Bundesliga, as well as a highlights rights package for Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga on RTL+.
At the time, RTL Deutschland said its portfolio now includes matches of the German national team, the Uefa Europa League and Uefa Conference League and – in cooperation with Sky Deutschland – three live conference broadcasts of the 2. Bundesliga per season, and a top match from the English Premier League per match week.
According to the agreement, RTL Group will fully acquire Sky’s businesses in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, including customer relationships in Luxembourg, Liechtenstein and South Tyrol on a cash-free and debt-free basis. The purchase price consists of €150 million in cash and a variable consideration linked to RTL Group’s share price performance of up to €377m.
Barny Mills, Sky Deutschland CEO, will continue to lead the Sky Deutschland business until the transaction is completed. Stephan Schmitter will stay in his current role as CEO of RTL Deutschland until closing of the transaction and then lead the combined company. RTL Deutschland will remain headquartered in Cologne and Sky Deutschland in Munich.
Dana Strong, Group CEO at Sky, added: “Sky Deutschland has made significant progress over the past three years, delivering strong operational performance and reaching a record number of customers.
“The business is on track to achieve EBITDA break-even, reflecting the success of our turnaround plan. Combining the strength of our brand with RTL builds on that momentum and opens up even greater opportunities. This deal provides a strong platform for long-term success, and ensures Sky continues to share in the growth of the combined business.”
