Timothy Epstein, a lawyer representing Enes Kanter and his family, has confirmed to ChicagoLawyerMagazine.com that his firm is "currently exploring legal action against the NCAA."
Epstein, who is a partner at SmithAmundsen Law Firm, is well-known for his representation in cases involving sports law. He serves as chairman of his firm's sports law practice group and represents clients in recreational, amateur and professional sports. He works on other distinct areas within sports law, including NCAA eligibility issues.
Here is an excerpt:
In one of his NCAA eligibility cases, he represents Enes Kanter, a freshman basketball player at the University of Kentucky who was ruled ineligible to play for the school in December. According to allegations, Kanter received more money than permitted by the NCAA when he played three seasons for a professional team in Turkey, his native country.
"He played basketball in Turkey as a high school kid and his father received actual and necessary expense money so that he could participate in a European basketball club similar to our AAU system in the U.S.," Epstein said. "In this case, you have a father trying to do the right thing to preserve his son's amateur status, so that he can play in the NCAA, but the NCAA staff considers the amount of expense money received to be a technical violation of NCAA rules."
In early January, a student-athlete reinstatement committee affirmed the NCAA staff's determination that Kanter is permanently ineligible, Epstein said.
"This is certainly difficult to swallow in light of the many NCAA athletes permitted to play despite willful violations by the athlete's representatives or the athletes themselves, including Cam Newton at Auburn and Terrelle Pryor at Ohio State," he said. "We are currently exploring potential legal action against the NCAA due in part to this disparate treatment."
"He played basketball in Turkey as a high school kid and his father received actual and necessary expense money so that he could participate in a European basketball club similar to our AAU system in the U.S.," Epstein said. "In this case, you have a father trying to do the right thing to preserve his son's amateur status, so that he can play in the NCAA, but the NCAA staff considers the amount of expense money received to be a technical violation of NCAA rules."
In early January, a student-athlete reinstatement committee affirmed the NCAA staff's determination that Kanter is permanently ineligible, Epstein said.
"This is certainly difficult to swallow in light of the many NCAA athletes permitted to play despite willful violations by the athlete's representatives or the athletes themselves, including Cam Newton at Auburn and Terrelle Pryor at Ohio State," he said. "We are currently exploring potential legal action against the NCAA due in part to this disparate treatment."
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