Nebraska's first crack in the CSC dam becomes a flood as MMR partners want NIL exemption

When 18 Nebraska football players directly challenged the authority of the clearinghouse supposedly in charge of deciding which NIL deals are approved and which are not, it seemed the entire house of cards could come tumbling down. While that house is still standing, the plaintiffs in the House vs NCAA settlement just removed a load-bearing card.

On Monday night, Ross Dellenger was among the first to report that the plaintiffs want to amend the settlement in a way that could greatly reduce the authority of the CSC clearinghouse. The group filed a motion asking the magistrate judge to declare that school multimedia rights partners (MMRs), such as Learfield, Playfly, and others, as well as third-party brands, such as apparel companies, be exempt from the CSC's more rigorous NIL enforcement.

Nebraska's arbitration case was the first crack in the CSC dam

While the plaintiffs obviously didn't cite Nebraska in their filing, it's clear that the Huskers, along with other schools pushing for arbitration in CSC rejection cases, set the college sports world down this path.

According to Dellenger, should the NCAA not object and the judge grant the motion, the filing could open the door for schools - already using MMR partners to redirect millions to rosters - to avoid submitting many of those deals through the NIL Go clearinghouse.

Nebraska would worry less about the NIL money flowing should a new motion be granted

The next step in this case is currently unknown. It seems unlikely the NCAA will oppose the motion, especially given the seemingly unending supply of NIL money despite the supposed CSC authority.

This move would also not settle the issue Nebraska is seeking arbitration for, but it would certainly lessen restrictions for Husker players. NU and Playfly announced a 15-year MMR partnership back in January.

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