The first serious legal challenge to the House settlement will come courtesy of a USC freshman linebacker.

Talanoa Ili, a top-100 recruit in the Trojans’ vaunted 2026 class, joins Stanford quarterback Charlie Mirer as one of two lead plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit that takes aim at the system implemented since the settlement ushered in a new era of direct payment from universities to athletes. The suit, which was filed Tuesday, accuses the NCAA, the Power Four conferences and the enforcement arm they created — the College Sports Commission — of participating in a “conspiracy” by creating a system of policies that have “direct anti-competitive effects, including the suppression of [name, image and likeness] compensation below competitive levels.”

Those policies, their attorneys argue, violate state laws in California that prohibit restrictions on NIL rights, as well as federal antitrust statutes. They’re seeking monetary damages, as well as an injunction that would upend the enforcement structure created to determine whether individual NIL deals over $2,500 meet criteria, including whether they have “a valid business purpose” or fall within a reasonable range of market value.

The clearinghouse, NIL Go, was created with the hope of eliminating an influx of booster-funded NIL deals that were basically direct payments from donors to the program. But since its inception, the system has been more restrictive and worked less efficiently than some schools and athletes might have hoped. As of last month, according to Yahoo Sports, more than $125 million worth of NIL compensation that had been promised to athletes had been rejected by the clearinghouse or was still under review.

In Ili’s case, the complaint states that he received a “substantial multi-year offer” from USC’s House of Victory collective in 2024 that led him to commit to the Trojans, only to have the offer disappear after approval of the House settlement.

“Absent the NIL Restrictions on Direct Pay NIL Compensation, Ili would have received more for his NIL rights than he now receives,” the complaint states. “The Agreement has thus injured Ili.”

Mirer, meanwhile, claims that he has received no NIL compensation from Stanford’s collective or revenue-sharing money from the university since 2024 as a result of the settlement.

“The [CSC agreement] has suppressed, deterred, and effectively terminated the economic relationships that had produced his prior NIL compensation,” the lawsuit says.

Even the plaintiffs in the House settlement, which created the CSC, are in the process of challenging the current system. On Wednesday, plaintiff attorney Jeffrey Kessler will argue in a hearing that school-affiliated businesses such as multimedia rights holders or corporate sponsors, should not be subject to the CSC’s rigorous criteria for NIL deals. That decision could also open the floodgates, with schools using those entities to circumvent the cap.

Two U.S. senators are hoping to pass legislation they believe would bring more stability to college athletics and thwart legal challenges. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Texas) spoke with presidents and chancellors from the Big Ten Conference on Tuesday about a bipartisan bill, the Protect College Sports Act, which would codify some of the CSC’s policies into federal law.

It’s officially World Cup week around the globe, and for the U.S. men’s national team, it’s the quest to make a run on home soil.

While soccer isn’t remotely close to the national sport, the feeling of patriotism and support for the USMNT is expected in full force when kickoff comes on June 12 against Paraguay in Inglewood, California.

Just ask legendary NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski, who may still be learning the game he never played growing up, but is “Team USA all the way” as they gear up for the tournament.

“No doubt about it. I’m Team USA all the way. How can you not be?” he told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. “I mean, I think it’ll be the greatest thing for the sport of soccer if somehow a miracle Team USA wins the World Cup.”

Gronkowski understands it’s a long shot for the USMNT to capture its first World Cup title. But his understanding of the sport mirrors that of many Americans, who love their country and want to see the Stars and Stripes make a run.

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Working alongside fellow NFL fan-favorite, New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston, Gronkowski has been building his soccer acumen and getting ready for the World Cup on Tubi’s “The Other Football.”

“I think it’s great for America to learn the game of soccer,” Gronkowski said about the show. “We got referees come on, we have players that come on. They’re teaching us the game of football and we’re asking questions because America’s a country that’s slacking behind in the game of soccer. There’s no doubt about that, and it’s great for the game of soccer that the World Cup is here because I feel like the whole entire world knows about soccer, knows the rules inside out and knows all the players. A good percentage of the USA is learning about the game of soccer. The game of soccer is expanding.

“I’m learning so much about it and I’m loving it.”

Gronkowski and his brothers were multi-sport athletes growing up, but soccer didn’t fall into that regimen in West New York. That doesn’t mean Gronkowski didn’t share tremendous respect for what these elite athletes do on the pitch and will showcase for the next month.

“The cardio, the shape they’re in is absolutely incredible,” he explained. “I just never played growing up. I don’t think I would last that long. I’m a short sprit guy – 40 yards. Then, I need a little break. If I had to go that long, I don’t think I would’ve lasted on a soccer field. I truly love their athleticism. I wish I played a little bit because my footwork for the game of football and basketball would’ve been more phenomenal and more on point as well. They’re just complete athletes and I respect what they do. I’m learning more and more about the game, and that’s what’s great about the World Cup being here.”

Not only are Gronkowski and Winston learning about the rules, but also the expanded FIFA format that will debut this week. It will be 48 teams instead of the usual 32, where two teams from each group of four will make it to the knockout stages, as well as the best eight teams in third place across the 12 groupings.

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Gronkowski is looking forward to cheering on the U.S., and while it’s a longshot they win it all, he has a bar set for victory.

“If we get out of the tourney and into the knockout stages and at least win one of those games and get to the Round of 16, I think that’s a win,” he said. “That’s like the USA winning the World Cup. It’s not winning it all, but that just shows how special it would be if we got that far.”

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The USMNT will face Paraguay on June 12, followed by matches against Australia on June 19 and Türkiye on June 25 to complete their group stage play.

And like many others simply watching to support the country and share their patriotism, Gronkowski now knows enough of the basics to get rowdy for a hopeful U.S. run.  

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Tim Ream is the only player on the American World Cup team who was alive the last time the tournament was played in the U.S. But he was only 6, so the memories are kind of sketchy.

“I remember bits and pieces of 1994,” he said.

Still, it’s fallen on Ream, as both the captain and the oldest man on the roster, to prepare the team for what they’re about to experience when the U.S. opens play Friday at SoFi Stadium.

“I’ve tried to tell guys and tried to convey the message that this is a once-in-a-career [opportunity] and with that comes more expectation, more pressure,” he said. “But at the same time we have to enjoy it.

“It’s about just opening your eyes and taking everything in because this is unique, this is completely different from anything that any of us as players has experienced.”

Only 22 men in history have suited up for a home World Cup game on U.S. soil. Players including Alexi Lalas, Eric Wynalda, Cobi Jones and Marcelo Balboa parlayed that fame into broadcasting careers. Others have become coaches. Fifteen of them were inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Ream, who played in the last World Cup in Qatar, said it’s difficult to compare the experience of that tournament with this one — especially since this one hasn’t started yet.

“It’s not our first rodeo, but it’s our first one on U.S. soil,” he said. “So it’s kind of our first rodeo in a way. It’s exciting.

“So take it in, enjoy it, embrace everything that it is. Because it’s so unique, it’s so special. And it’s not something that we will ever get to do again.”

Midfielder Cristian Roldan was also at the last World Cup, although he didn’t appear in a game. He says the energy is different this time around.

“You feel it when you’re there. You’re kind of isolated, you’re alone,” said Roldan, one of 13 players on this team who were also on the team in Qatar, half a world away. “But it’s different here. You see how many media members are here. You see how many people we’ve seen in training over the last few weeks. You feel that energy, you feel that support.

“Now it’s about translating that energy, that support, that pressure into something good.”

Goalkeeper Matt Turner agreed.

“This one, obviously, it’s a lot more tangible,” he told reporters Tuesday. “You guys are all here, right, real close to us. We have 5,000 fans for training yesterday. It’s very different. In Qatar, you’re in a lot more of a bubble.

“But us players, the ones that had the [World Cup] experiences, I think we’ve done a really good job of keeping that boundary.”

What’s lacking this time, Turner said, was the pressure of a qualifying campaign to bring the team together. Because the U.S. is one of the three host countries — alongside Mexico and Canada — it was assured a spot in 48-team field when it won the right to stage the tournament eight years ago. As a result it hasn’t played a competitive game in more than 11 months.

“The intensity of those games, the environments that you have to dip into and get results, you find out a lot about the players and find out a lot about the team,” he said. “This time around, it’s been different. We’ve had a lot of different looks, a lot of different players getting a chance to prove themselves and show themselves.

“It’s not anything bad or good. I just think it was a little bit different.”

Striker Folarin Balogun, one of 13 World Cup newbies on the U.S. team, said he doesn’t expect the gravity of the experience to hit him until he lines up for Friday’s opening game with Paraguay.

“It’s probably going to start to go more real to me when I’m preparing to go onto the pitch,” he said, sitting behind a table next to Ream. “I’m hearing the fans shouting and screaming, so I definitely think it’ll be real to me the closer I get.

“But you know, this is the first opportunity for me to play in the World Cup so I don’t really have any expectations.”

Balogun then looked over at a frowning Ream, who had just finished urging his teammates to be sure to stop and smell the flowers along this World Cup journey.

“Just trying to stay present, stay in the moment,” Balogun hastened to add. “You know, enjoying the experience. I think it can be a really memorable World Cup.”