Senior Reese Brantmeier is used to winning on the court; her efforts helped lead the UNC women’s tennis team to their first national championship in 2023. Now, Brantmeier can add a win in court to her legacy.
Brantmeier and fellow plaintiff Maya Joint filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in 2024. NCAA rules stated that while classified as an NCAA athlete, players were unable to collect any winnings other than what they spent on expenses. Brantmeier herself was able to claim only $10,000 of a $50,000 prize
she won in the 2021 US Open while she was still in high school. The lawsuit was filed with the aim of allowing NCAA athletes to claim all winnings in tournaments outside of NCAA play.
The case was eventually granted class action status. After some legal back and forth, a settlement was eventually reached. The NCAA agreed to pay $2.02 million in damages. Brantmeier and Joint will only receive a small portion of that money; they were each awarded $10,000. The other $2 million is going to administrative costs and attorney fees associated with the case.
While the financial compensation is miniscule, the settlement also includes a much more important agreement: the NCAA will lift the restrictions that prevent athletes from claiming prize money. This will apply to all sports, despite the scope of the lawsuit just focusing on tennis. The ruling will likely affect thousands of current and future athletes. While this will further blur the line between amateur and professional athletics at the college level, the ruling makes sense. While it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison, it seems unfair someone as good at their sport as Brantmeier can’t profit from it while in school, while a benchwarmer in a revenue sport with an NIL agreement can rake in the cash.
Brantmeier can now focus her attention on leading the UNC women’s tennis team on a potentially lengthy run in the NCAA Tournament. The Heels will take on Charleston Southern on Friday, May 1st in Chapel Hill.
