Ropes & Gray and the Sports Lawyers Association Co-Host Student-Athlete Right of Publicity Panel

On Nov. 4, Ropes & Gray and the Sports Lawyers Association co-hosted a panel event addressing the topic of NCAA student-athletes' right of publicity at the firm’s Boston office. The event brought together nearly 40 professionals from Boston’s business and legal community and featured a panel discussion. It was moderated by New York-based litigation & enforcement partner Christopher Conniff and panelists included Scott Bearby, VP of Legal Affairs and General Counsel of the NCAA; Peter Roby, former Director of Athletics and Recreation at Northeastern University; Warren Zola, Executive Director of the Boston College Chief Executives Club; and Erica Han, IPT counsel at Ropes & Gray. The discussion examined the challenges and obstacles surrounding the proposed modification of standing NCAA amateurism regulations in connection with the use of a student-athlete’s name, image and likeness.