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Lawyer who argued landmark CFB Supreme Court case admits he ‘screwed up’
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Lawyer Andrew Coates regrets the pivotal role he played in getting the US Supreme Court to allow universities to maximize football revenue.
“I think I screwed up college football across the board, because I think the case did it,” Coats said to NBC News, reflecting on his role in NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma.
In said case, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Coats’ clients and said that the collegiate governing body could not restrain the trade rights of schools and their conferences.
This case has changed the world of college sports, with teams now frequently changing conferences and searching for the most lucrative media deals. The most recent example is the Pac-12, which appears to be in danger of dissolving after 108 years.
“You feel bad how far it’s gone,” said the 88-year-old Coats, who still teaches law at his alma mater, the University of Oklahoma, and who served as the mayor of Oklahoma City from 1983 to 1987. “But I don’t think anyone could have predicted what would happen.”
It remains to be seen how realignment will shake out and how non-revenue sports will be impacted.
Bryce Lazenby covers college football for Saturday Down South. A Nashville native, his previous stops include FanSided, Dimers, and The Leaf-Chronicle.
