Setting up Tennessee's big lawsuit hearing: UT alums on NCAA side and whether you should go

The state of Tennessee will try to freeze the NCAA’s name, image and likeness rules at a preliminary injunction hearing in Greeneville on Tuesday.

It’s part of an antitrust lawsuit filed by the attorneys general for Tennessee and Virginia.

There are implications for all NCAA member schools, especially the University of Tennessee. It is amid an NCAA investigation into allegations that it broke NIL rules.

For college football fans who lack a law degree, this can get confusing. So here are the basics you need to know about the hearing.

When and where is the Tennessee vs. NCAA hearing?

It will begin at 9 a.m. at the James H. Quillen Courthouse, the site of the Eastern District of Tennessee federal court.

The hearing could last 30 minutes or three hours or anything in between. It depends on how willing the judge is to listen to oral arguments.

But a judgment won’t necessarily come Tuesday. The judge could announce it from the bench, or he could write his opinion and release it a few days later.

WATCH LIVE AFTER THE HEARING: Tennessee vs. NCAA hearing recap

What’s at stake for college sports?

If the injunction is granted, NIL rules freeze until the case concludes. That means recruits would be allowed to negotiate and sign NIL contracts before enrolling at a school without fear of breaking NCAA rules.

If the injunction is denied, NIL rules remain in place, at least until the case concludes. The judge has already indicated that the NCAA likely would lose the suit, specifically against charges that its NIL rules violate antitrust laws.

The final judgment could be months away. But this injunction, if granted, would impact NIL rules now rather than kicking the can down the road.

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What’s at stake for University of Tennessee?

This federal case and the NCAA’s investigation into UT aren’t directly connected, but the prior impacts the latter.

If the injunction is granted, the NCAA likely would drop the most serious charges against UT. Otherwise, it would be attempting to punish a school for breaking rules in the past that are unenforceable and potentially illegal in the present.

If the injunction is denied, the NCAA has a big decision. It could be emboldened by the small victory and continue its investigation with vigor, or it could see the writing on the wall and abandon the probe.

If the injunction is denied and the NCAA pursues harsh penalties against UT, things could get messy. Because the judge said NIL rules likely violate antitrust laws, there would be plausible grounds for a lawsuit from UT, NIL collective Spyre Sports Group or athletes.

Should UT fans try to attend hearing?

It’s a public courtroom, so any citizen has the right to show up.

But before taking a day off work and driving to Greeneville, consider this: The courtroom is small with limited seating, the legal arguments are boring to most people, the judgment might come days later and your attendance won’t help the state of Tennessee or UT.

On social media, UT fans have joked about tailgating and checkering the courtroom in orange and white. But the plaintiffs want to avoid distractions.

The NCAA argues that granting the injunction would toss college sports into disarray. Any visual representation of chaos, like orange-clad fans tailgating, might strengthen their argument.

Who is the judge?

Clifton Corker has been a federal judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee since 2019, when he was appointed by President Donald Trump. Before that, he was a federal magistrate judge.

Corker graduated from James Madison University in 1990 and William and Mary Law School in 1993. He clerked in the Western District in Virginia and then opened his own law practice in Johnson City.

He is not related to former U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, a UT graduate.

Who is arguing on NCAA’s side – including Tennessee alums?

The NCAA is represented by attorneys David Zeitlin, Rakesh Kilaru, Robert Boston and Taylor Askew, according to the court docket.

Boston, Zeitlin and Askew are attorneys at Holland & Knight, a firm in Nashville.

Boston earned his undergraduate degree at Vanderbilt and law degree at University of Tennessee. Askew earned his undergraduate degree at Tennessee Tech and law degree at University of Tennessee.

Zeitlin graduated from the University of Wisconsin and University of Alabama Law School.

Kilaru is based in Washington, D.C., where he worked in President Barack Obama’s administration. He graduated from Columbia University and Stanford Law.

Who is arguing on Tennessee’s side?

The plaintiffs are led by Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares. But there are 19 attorneys of record listed for the plaintiff. They won’t all attend the hearing.

Skrmetti has been a thorn in the NCAA’s side for a while.

Last March, Skrmetti threatened legal action against the NCAA if it banned the UT football team from postseason play as punishment in the Jeremy Pruitt case. It worked, as UT got a lesser punishment.

And in December, Skrmetti led Tennessee into a seven-state coalition that sued the NCAA, arguing that its multi-transfer restrictions violated antitrust laws. The states got a restraining order and preliminary injunction, which quickly erased the NCAA’s undergraduate transfer rules.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee vs NCAA lawsuit hearing: UT alums working on NCAA side