Webinar Addresses ‘College Athletes’ Freedom of Speech and Expression – or the Lack Thereof’
The Drake Group Webinar Series continues with an April 21 event that addresses ‘Critical Issues in Collegiate Athletics.
Hosted by 2aDays, the panelists will explore “how rights of free speech operate in the context of intercollegiate athletics including speech used abusively by athletes, athletes protesting abuse by coaches, trainers, or other university staff, athletes engaging in political protest, coaches’ efforts to control athletes’ use of social media, and commercial speech that is invoked in the context of NIL licensing.”
Register for the event here.
Starting at 2p.m. EST, the panelists include:
Speakers
Sandy Thatcher
Member @The Drake Group
a member of The Drake Group board of directors since 2017 and currently chair of its Awards Committee. Now retired, he worked for fifty years in the academic publishing business, primarily at two university presses (Princeton and Penn State) and has expertise in copyright, libel, academic freedom, and contract law.
Sam C. Ehrlich, J.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor @Boise State University
an assistant professor of legal studies with the Department of Management at Boise State University. Sam’s research focuses on the legal governance of sports by examining athlete employment rights, sport-specific antitrust exemptions, and tort and constitutional liability for overseeing athletic organizations.
Frank LoMonte, J.D.
Director @Brechner Center for Freedom of Information
Director of the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information, College of Journalism and Communications, University of Florida; formerly executive director of the Student Press Law Center (SPLC) in Washington, D.C., where during his tenure, launched the “New Voices” initiative that resulted in enactment of fortified legal protections for student journalists in 13 states, and the “Active Voice” fellowship program for college undergraduates to design “press freedom service projects” amplifying the voices of young women, who experience the brunt of school censorship.
Kaiya McCullough
Activist
an activist and former professional soccer player. While she was member of UCLA’s elite women’s soccer program, she was one of the first collegiate athletes to kneel in protest of the National Anthem, inspired by Colin Kaepernick. She currently is the chairwoman for Anti-Racist Soccer Club, a coalition fighting against racism in the American soccer landscape, and a project manager at Common Goal for their Anti-Racist Project. She is passionate about community building, racial justice, and social equity, and is fiercely passionate about many social justice causes, especially at the intersections with racial justice, and will be attending Harvard Law School this fall.
Josephine R. Potuto, J.D
Richard H. Larson Professor of Constitutional Law @University of Nebraska College of Law
Richard H. Larson Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Nebraska College of Law and the NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is the immediate past president of the 1A Faculty Athletics Representatives, currently serves on the 1A FAR executive committee, and is a member of the governance groups of the Big Ten Conference. Professor Potuto is the sole FAR serving on the NCAA Interpretations Committee and has served three terms on the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions (chair 2006 to 2008