Lions receiver Jameson Williams sues NCAA, Big Ten & SEC

Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams filed a bombshell lawsuit against the NCAA, the Big Ten and the Southeastern Conference this week.

Court documents, obtained The California Post, show the NFL star sued the three entities in Los Angeles County on Monday over allegations they’ve been using his name, image and likeness without properly compensating him for it.

Williams, who played at Ohio State in 2019 and 2020 before finishing his collegiate career at Alabama in 2021, now wants money — and an injunction barring the defendants from using his NIL “for financial or any similar gain or reason without his consent and compensation.”

“To date,” Williams’ lawsuit states, “Williams has received no fair compensation from Defendants for the full commercial value of his name, image, and likeness. Defendendants continuously financially benefit from Jameson Williams’ name, image and likeness rights, wille also doing so without proving him with just compensation.”

Additionally, Williams stated he wants “the social media earnings that [he] would have received but for Defendants’ unlawful conduct” as well as a cut of the “the game telecast group licensing revenue” he said the defendants earned, in part, due to his success on college football fields.

In his two seasons at OSU, Williams logged 266 yards and three touchdowns on 15 catches. At Alabama, he recorded 1,572 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns on 79 receptions in 15 games.

Despite tearing his ACL in the national championship game, Williams went on to be picked at No. 12 overall by the Lions in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Williams, now an integral part of the Lions’ explosive offense, claimed in his suit that because of restrictions the NCAA, the Big Ten and the SEC placed on him while he was playing, “he was not able to sell his name, image, and likeness rights.” He also alleged that the trio continues to use his NIL through social media posts and highlight packages on television.

“Plaintiff received less — zero — than he otherwise would have received for the use of his name, image, and likeness in a competitive marketplace, and was thus damaged, and seeks to recover those damages,” Williams’ lawsuit states.

Williams is formally suing for violation of the Cartwright Act, violation of the Unfair Practices Act, violation of the Sherman Antitrust and violation of the Lanham Act.

A message to Williams’ attorneys seeking comment on Tuesday was not immediately returned.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters