Exclusive | Former Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott sues NCAA for cashing in on jersey sales and highlights

Nypost · May 05, 2026 · 345 words · By Jeremy Louwerse

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Daily briefing

What to know about Exclusive

Former Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA and the Big Ten Conference, accusing both of continuing to cash in on his name, image, and likeness without compensation.

Claims checked 9

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center80%

Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

At the heart of the running back’s lawsuit — obtained by The California Post — are numerous highlights from Elliott’s time as a star at Ohio State from 2013-2015 that allegedly continue to be used on various NCAA-associated platforms.

Common ground

Elliott’s time at Ohio State included a win at the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship in 2014.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Exclusive?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that does not profit from the jersey sales of his #15 Buckeye threads — despite them selling for up to $185 pop?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/05/sports/former-cowboys-star-ezekiel-elliott-sues-nc…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 4

check_circle Corroborated 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

verified Verified 1

help Insufficient Evidence 1

info

Claim 1: “does not profit from the jersey sales of his #15 Buckeye threads — despite them selling for up to $185 pop”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim regarding jersey sales and the specific price of $185 is part of the lawsuit's allegations; no independent retail data or secondary sources were provided to verify the specific price or the lack of profit.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2014 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented Ohio State University in the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Buckeyes' 125th overall, the 102nd as a member of the Big Ten C…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Ohio_State_Buckeyes_footb…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The College Football Playoff National Championship is a postseason college football bowl game, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), which began…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_Football_Playoff_Natio…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ezekiel Elijah Elliott (born July 22, 1995), nicknamed "Zeke", is an American professional football running back. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, earning second-team All-Americ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezekiel_Elliott

info

Claim 2: “Elliott has not seen any revenue from the continued use of the highlights”

SINGLE SOURCE

This is a central allegation of the lawsuit mentioned in web search results, but there is no independent financial audit or secondary source confirming the lack of revenue.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Ezekiel Elijah Elliott (born July 22, 1995), nicknamed " Zeke ", is an American professional football running back. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, earning second-team All-Amer…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezekiel_Elliott

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Get all the latest updates and news on Ezekiel Elliott career, stats, records, news and latest videos. Follow Sportskeeda for all breaking news on Ezekiel Elliott.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/nfl/ezekiel-elliott

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Ezekiel Elliott rumors, news and videos from the best sources on the web.
https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/players/ezekiel_elliott/48552…

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Claim 3: “Elliott joins Lion’s wide receiver Jameson Williams who launched a lawsuit last month”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm that Jameson Williams filed a lawsuit against the NCAA, Big Ten, and SEC for NIL compensation.

verified

Claim 4: “Elliott’s time at Ohio State included a win at the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship in 2014”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and ESPN confirm that Ezekiel Elliott played for Ohio State and won the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship in January 2015 (the 2014 season).

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship was a college football bowl game played on January 12, 2015, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The inaugural College Football Playoff Nationa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_College_Football_Playoff_…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 5: “The Big 10 Conference generated $448.8 million in revenue, a 32 percent increase over the prior year with Ohio State alone reporting 167.2 million, during the period Elliott played for OSU”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific revenue figures ($448.8 million for Big Ten and $167.2 million for Ohio State) are cited as being from the lawsuit documents in the web search results, but are not corroborated by independent financial reports in the provided evidence.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 6: “Former Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA and the Big Ten Conference”

VERIFIED

Web search results explicitly state that Ezekiel Elliott filed a lawsuit against the NCAA and the Big Ten Conference regarding NIL compensation.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2014–15 College Football Playoff was a single-elimination postseason tournament that determined the national champion of the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the inaugural edition …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014–15_College_Football_Playo…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Ohio State Buckeyes football team represents the Ohio State University in American football. They compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member of the Big Ten Conferen…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_State_Buckeyes_football

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “the NFL star sued the three entities in Los Angeles County over allegations they’ve been using his name, image and likeness without properly compensating him for it”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results (including references to The California Post) confirm Jameson Williams filed a suit in Los Angeles County alleging the use of his NIL without compensation.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Former Alabama and Ohio State football wide receiver Jameson Williams is suing the NCAA, Big Ten and SEC for Name, Image and Likeness compensation. According to The California Post, the now ...
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2026/04/28/james…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The suit, filed in Los Angeles County, according to the California Post, alleges that the three entities have failed to pay Williams despite using his name, image and likeness.
https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-football/news/jameson-w…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — NFL star Jameson Williams filed a lawsuit against the NCAA, the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference this week over their alleged use of his name, image and likeness.
https://nypost.com/2026/04/28/sports/lions-receiver-jameson-…

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Claim 8: “highlights from Elliott’s time as a star at Ohio State from 2013-2015 that allegedly continue to be used on various NCAA-associated platforms”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the lawsuit is confirmed, the specific detail about highlights being used on NCAA-associated platforms is mentioned in the context of the lawsuit's allegations but not independently corroborated by other news reports or official records in the provided evidence.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 9: “Williams, who played at Ohio State in 2019 and 2020 before finishing his collegiate career at Alabama in 2021”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

The provided evidence for Jameson Williams focuses on the lawsuit; no specific evidence was provided in the search results to confirm his specific years at Ohio State and Alabama.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.