The mother of Tennessee football recruit Faizon Brandon, a five-star quarterback in the class of 2026, has filed a lawsuit against the state of North Carolina for prohibiting public high school athletes from making money using her name, image and likeness, ESPN.com reports.
Arguably the best quarterback in the class of 2026, Brandon committed to Tennessee on August 3, the last high-profile quarterback to join the Vols in the NIL era. The Greensboro, North Carolina native chose Tennessee over Alabama, LSU and North Carolina State.
Rolanda Brandon, Faizon's mother, filed the lawsuit last week in Wake County Superior Court, which names the North Carolina State Board of Education and the Department of Public Instruction as defendants, ESPN.com reported.
The complaint came after North Carolina passed a policy in June that prohibited the state's public school athletes from earning money using their NIL.
North Carolina is one of the states that does not allow high school athletes to accept money for sponsorships, public appearances, camps and autograph signings.
This is not the first time a well-known Tennessee Vols quarterback has been involved in a legal dispute over NIL rules.
Current UT quarterback Nico Iamaleava, a former five-star recruit, signed what was believed to be the largest NIL deal at the time in March 2022. He then moved to the Vols and signed in December 2022.
More than a year later, Iamaleava's recruitment at UT was the target of a failed NCAA investigation that sparked an antitrust lawsuit by the Tennessee Attorney General to ensure Iamaleava could play for the Vols.
A Knox News investigation found that UT had spent tens of thousands of dollars on lawyers to represent Iamaleava's interests and defend his right to ZERO benefits before he even enrolled.
By retaining experienced attorneys early on, the university was one step ahead of NCAA investigators who had targeted certain schools for alleged violations of NIL rules that were ultimately invalidated by a federal court.
Ultimately, a federal judge struck down the NCAA's NIL rules. And the NCAA, left with no other choice, paused its investigation into UT's NIL dealings, including those of Iamaleava.
Now another quarterback transferring to UT is challenging the NIL rules, albeit at the state level for high school athletes.
Adam Sparks is Tennessee's football reporter. Email [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparksSupport strong local journalism by subscribing to knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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