Duane W. Gang

dgang@tennessean.com

Ten former college football and basketball players — nine with ties to Tennessee — have filed a federal class-action lawsuit arguing that their images were improperly used without their permission.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court Friday in Nashville, targets ESPN, CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox and eight NCAA athletic conferences, including the SEC. The former players also are suing licensing companies and television networks with ties to the athletic conferences.

The players argue that the television networks, athletic conferences and licensing agencies conspired with one another to exploit rules forbidding student athletes from "competing in the marketplace for the value of their rights of publicity," according to the suit.

In particular, the players say the form they signed giving the NCAA permission to use their name or picture to "generally promote" sporting events has been exploited. They argue the term isn't defined and therefore does not give the NCAA or any third party the authority to sell or license their names or images, according to the court filing.

Javon Marshall a former Vanderbilt player, released a statement through The Strategy Group, a public relations firm handling media inquiries regarding the case.

"I agreed to be a plaintiff in this lawsuit because ESPN doesn't own my image – I do. While TV networks and college sports leagues make billions of dollars off the images of college athletes like me, college athletes get no compensation. Nowhere else in America do the creators of a multi-billion dollar enterprise go unpaid for their effort. I believe the courts will agree this is not fair."

The group is not suing the schools where they played, including Vanderbilt University, Tennessee State and the University of Tennessee.

Those filing the lawsuit:

• Marshall, of Nashville, played on Vanderbilt University's football team from 2010 to 2013.

• Eric Samuels, of Eustis, Fla., played on Vanderbilt's football team from 2009 to 2012. Samuels also was a defensive back.

• Sean Parker, of Los Angeles, was a member of the University of Washington football team from 2010 to 2013.

• Patrick Miller, of Chicago, played basketball for Tennessee State University from 2010 to 2013.

• Steven Clarke, of Nashville, played football at Vanderbilt from 2010 to 2013.

• Rod Wilks, of Knoxville, was a member of the University of Tennessee football team from 2009 to 2012. He graduated from Smyrna High School.

• Byron Moore, also of Knoxville, played for the Vols from 2011 to 2013.

• Chaz Moore, of Chattanooga, played football at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga from 2010 to 2013.

• Marlon Walls, of Memphis, played for the Vols from 2009 to 2013.

• Chris Conner, of Nashville, was a member of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore basketball team from 2008 to 2009.

The case is similar to one filed by former UCLA basketball player Ed O'Bannon. In August, a federal judge in California ruled that NCAA limits on what Bowl Subdivision football and Division I basketball players can receive for playing sports violates antitrust laws.

That case is now on appeal before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Separately, the NCAA and Electronic Arts received preliminary approval for a $60 million settlement to resolve claims that student athletes' images were used in video games without their permission.

USA Today contributed to this report. Reach Duane W. Gang at 615-726-5982 and on Twitter @duanegang.