NCAA will pause NIL investigations

After another courtroom loss, the NCAA has told its enforcement staff to halt investigations into booster-backed collectives or other third parties making name, image and likeness compensation deals with Division I athletes.

In a letter to member schools on Friday, NCAA President Charlie Baker said the the Division I Board of Directors directed enforcement staff “to pause and not begin investigations involving third-party participation in NIL-related activities.”

The move comes a week after a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit brought by the attorneys general of Tennessee and Virginia.

The antitrust suit challenges NCAA rules against recruiting inducements, saying they inhibit athletes' ability to cash in on their celebrity and fame.

Also Friday The NCAA is considering allowing the head coach to have in-game communication with one player on offense and one on defense in a series of rules proposals.

The NFL-like proposals need to be approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel, which is scheduled to discuss football proposals April 18.

In games involving Football Bowl Subdivision teams, each school would have the option to use coach-to-player communications through the helmet to one player on the field.

The communication would be turned off with 15 seconds remaining on the play clock or when the ball is snapped, whichever comes first.

Tennis: Andrey Rublev was defaulted from his semifinal match at the Dubai Championships for yelling in the face of a line judge, allowing Alexander Bublik to advance to the final on Friday.

Meanwhile defending champion Daniil Medvedev was knocked out in the other semi by Ugo Humbert 7-5, 6-3.