A federal lawsuit brought by a North Carolina women’s tennis player against the NCAA over prize money is expected to receive class-action status, meaning it could have wide-ranging implications for college athletics.
Reese Brantmeier first filed a federal lawsuit in North Carolina against the NCAA in March 2024 over the organization’s restrictions on individual athletes keeping prize money won in outside competitions. Brantmeier, the 2025 ACC player of the year, earned about $50,000 from competing in the 2021 U.S. Open as a high school junior, but NCAA rules made her give up most of those winnings. She was allowed to keep $10,000 plus some expenses.
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The original suit was filed on behalf of Division I athletes in all sports, but an amended complaint, filed in November, limits the class to just tennis players who compete or competed at the Division I level. Tennis players are allowed to accept up to $10,000 per calendar year in prize money from outside competition before enrolling. After enrollment, they are limited to actual and necessary expenses under current NCAA rules.
The amended complaint also includes former Texas women’s tennis player Maya Joint as a named plaintiff.
The NCAA’s long-held amateurism rules have undergone massive changes in recent years, ushering in an era of professionalization at the college level. Athletes can now directly receive payments from schools with some players earning millions. Most of the money is being directed toward football and men’s basketball players.
Brantmeier’s lawsuit challenging the prize money rules now looks like it’ll be allowed to advance. And the timing is fortuitous: The UNC senior just earned a spot in the U.S. Open tournament next month, competing in the doubles bracket for a shot at hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money. Under current rules, she wouldn’t be able to collect winnings.
“We have always thought the prize money case was a straightforward violation of antitrust laws,” said Jason Miller, a Raleigh-based lawyer who is representing Brantmeier.
Federal District Court Judge Catherine Eagles wrote Tuesday that “it is highly likely the Court will grant the motion for class certification.” She directed the plaintiffs to present a draft proposal including injunctive and damages class members, a method for its distribution and a schedule for opting out of the damages class members to the NCAA within five days.
If it were to receive class certification, and if Brantmeier were to prevail, the NCAA could be forced to pay damages to everyone in the class — current and former Division I tennis players who have competed in non-NCAA professional events.
The NCAA already faces costly lawsuits over player eligibility and other disputes, even after settling long-running cases over name, image and likeness in the House settlement. The prospect of another drawn-out lawsuit could give the governing body pause, especially if a ruling exposes the NCAA to similar lawsuits from athletes in other sports.
“It doesn’t mean ultimately Brantmeier will win on the underlying legal claims on the case, but it puts more pressure on the NCAA to potentially settle,” said Mit Winter, a college sports lawyer and former Division I basketball player.
A ruling or settlement could also lead to larger changes. If the NCAA were to allow athletes to receive prize money, football bowl games or in-season basketball tournaments could pay the players on the winning team prize money, Winter said. Bowl games have long gifted participating football players with clothing, electronics and other prizes, but not cash.
“If a court finds this rule that limits prize money with respect to tennis players violates antitrust law, I don’t see how the NCAA could enforce it in other sports,” Winter said.
The NCAA settled several class-action cases as part of its recent House settlement. The NCAA must pay nearly $3 billion in back pay to former athletes for denying them the use of their name, image and likeness as a result. The agreement also allows schools to directly pay athletes up to $20.5 million this academic year and it lifts scholarship limits in favor of roster limits across sports.
In June, Brantmeier and teammate Alanis Hamilton earned a spot in next month’s U.S. Open.
Brantmeier earned All-America honors in singles and doubles in 2025. She went 18-2 in singles and earned first-team All-ACC for the third straight year. She went 24-5 in doubles and earned first-team All-ACC honors. Brantmeier led UNC to the ACC title in 2024, earning All-America honors before an injury ended her season. She was key to the Tar Heels’ national title team in 2023.
Brantmeier is 60-9 in singles across three seasons in Chapel Hill. She sat out her first season at UNC in 2022-23 because, according to her lawsuit, the NCAA refused to certify her as an “amateur.” It challenged some of the expenses submitted by Brantmeier during her 2021 U.S. Open participation.