A former top college baseball pitcher has sued the National Collegiate Athletic Association in a proposed class action in Colorado federal court, claiming that restrictions on athletic scholarships caused some players to pay more for school.
Cornelio said he only received a partial scholarship based on the NCAA’s rules.
The lawsuit said the NCAA, the governing body for U.S. college athletics, violated antitrust law by capping the number of scholarships that schools give to student athletes other than basketball and football players. The rule had allowed only about 11 scholarships for baseball, which has 27-person rosters.
“Absent the bylaw, those same players would pay nothing because they would be on a full scholarship,” the lawsuit said. “Over the course of four years, that means the bylaw is harming many baseball players to the tune of six figures.”
The NCAA declined to comment on the lawsuit, but it said it was taking steps to expand "core guaranteed benefits" for student-athletes, including health insurance, scholarships and academic counseling.
Lawyers for Cornelio declined to comment. The lawsuit said the NCAA has proposed rescinding the rules at issue in the case.
Cornelio’s law firm, Korein Tillery is weighing whether to ask a U.S. judge to deny preliminarily approving the settlement, according to a court filing in the California litigation.
The NCAA has denied violating antitrust law, but agreed to settle the cases and implement a series of reforms that are expected to allow schools for the first time to make payments directly to athletes.
The scholarship case seeks class-action status for more than 100 student athletes in baseball, tennis, gymnastics and other sports. Students who received partial scholarships at certain schools in the NCAA’s Division 1, the top level for college athletics, could be part of the lawsuit if it advances.
The case is Riley Cornelio v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, U.S. District Court, District of Colorado, No. 1:24-cv-02178.
For plaintiffs: Stephen Tillery and Garrett Broshuis of Korein Tillery
For defendant: No appearance yet
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