Shawne Alston sues SEC, ACC, Big 10, Big 12, and PAC 12 + NCAA

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Former West Virginia football player Shawne Alston sued the NCAA and five major conferences Wednesday, saying they violated antitrust laws by agreeing to cap the value of an athletic scholarship at less than the actual cost of attending school.

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Alston, a running back for West Virginia from 2009-12, is the only named plaintiff. The lawsuit also seeks to represent all scholarship football players who have played since February 2010 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern Conference.

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"The NCAA and Power Conference Defendants have studied and acknowledged that a so-called `full ride' scholarship does not cover the full cost of attending school," the lawsuit said. "Athletes are often a few thousand dollars short for the typical expenses of a student. These costs include money for gas, food, and other necessities. While players scrimp, coaches and universities most certainly do not. The average salary for major college football coaches is over $2 million, with some coaches earning over $7 million."

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The lawsuit asks that the NCAA and the five conferences discontinue the practice of not including the actual cost of attendance in scholarships. It also asks for members of the class to receive damages in the amount of the difference between the value of their scholarships and their actual costs of attendance.

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