Kutak Rock’s College Athletics Industry Practice Group brings together attorneys across key disciplines to help colleges and athletics industry stakeholders address the legal issues they face daily. We deliver strategic counsel on higher education governance and compliance; NCAA and College Sports Commission ("CSC") compliance, investigations and infractions; Title IX and gender equity; name, image and likeness (“NIL”) and revenue sharing; and intellectual property and media rights matters. Our lawyers have served as lead counsel for numerous Division I institutions in complex transactions, major infractions cases, high profile student-athlete eligibility issues, intellectual property and media rights transactions and disputes, and real estate projects.

Private equity’s highly publicized investments in athletic departments and conferences are rapidly reshaping college sports, making private capital a top of mind, urgent issue for stakeholders. At the same time, litigation and legislation are destabilizing traditional structures and forcing universities to rethink budgets, governance, athlete employment status, labor law, media rights arrangements and the potential privatization of other operations. Kutak Rock is uniquely positioned to guide stakeholders through this shift. Founded as a finance firm, our experience includes mergers and acquisitions (“M&A”), private equity and credit, corporate governance, partnership and joint ventures, real estate, labor and employment, public finance, public-private partnerships (“P3”), and intellectual property (“IP”), enabling us to serve as a one stop partner for athletic departments and conferences navigating private capital and broader structural shifts.

We advise and advocate for clients across the full spectrum of college athletics. Our core services include:

• Comprehensive support across private capital, finance and M&A for public‑private transactions; media rights, licensing and IP; labor and employment; real estate and large‑scale infrastructure; and higher‑education governance and compliance.
• NCAA and CSC infractions and enforcement services, including internal investigations, guidance through the infractions process, representation before relevant adjudicative bodies, and appeals.
• NCAA compliance, including advice and counsel, compliance reviews, eligibility certification and APR assistance, CARA matters, and issues concerning the transfer portal.
• Title IX and gender equity, including navigating U.S. Department of Education and Office of Civil Rights processes, defending discrimination claims, assessing and defending institutions’ athletics programs’ Title IX compliance, and developing practical equity plans with training and audits of recruiting and hiring practices.
• NIL and revenue sharing related matters stemming from the House v. NCAA settlement. 

Kutak Rock’s College Athletics Industry Practice Group delivers end-to-end counsel amid rapid change, helping clients mitigate risk, capture opportunities and chart a sustainable path forward.