Twins Matthew Bewley and Ryan Bewley, who are 19, sued the NCAA on Wednesday in U.S. district court in Chicago. They are challenging the college sports governing body's decision denying their request for "amateur" status to play for Chicago State University.
The NCAA in 2021 loosened its curbs on the ability of players to profit from advertising and merchandising deals with companies and other third parties.In their complaint, the Bewleys said they accepted athletic scholarship offers from Chicago State, which is part of the NCAA's Division 1 top level for college sports.
The NCAA, according to the lawsuit, has claimed the Bewleys' compensation from the academy exceeded "actual and necessary" expenses and that they competed for a team that considered itself professional. The lawsuit claimed the NCAA had allowed other academy players, including former classmates and teammates of the Bewleys, to play college basketball.