ESPN’s Jay Bilas talks California law and KU vs. the NCAA on Rock Chalk Sports Talk with Nick Schwerdt

By Matt Tait     Oct 1, 2019

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ESPN College GameDay analyst Jay Bilas is photographed with Kansas fans during the show at Allen Fieldhouse, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016, hours before the tip-off between KU and Kentucky men's basketball game.

Despite the looming cloud of NCAA allegations, the elite status of Kansas basketball is safe, according to ESPN analyst Jay Bilas.

Speaking on Rock Chalk Sports Talk with Nick Schwerdt on Monday afternoon, Bilas discussed KU’s current battle with the NCAA over allegations of recruiting improprieties and put forth the idea that even though KU may have a tough time defending its case in the months ahead, the next year will not hurt the KU brand in the big picture.

“Kansas basketball is in no jeopardy whatsoever,” Bilas told Schwerdt. “This is a short-term issue. It may be very painful in the short term, but (in) the long term I don’t think there’s any real concern.”

Bilas said he was not surprised by how strong the NCAA’s case against KU read and added that the whole thing will come down to the simple matter of whether the newly formed Independent Resolution Panel, which will hear and ultimately rule in the case, believes KU’s defense.

“You can argue it both sides, it’s just going to depend on what the decision makers think that are in that room,” Bilas said. “Independent or not, these folks were brought in by the NCAA. This is not what I would advocate, which is take these cases to the American Arbitration Association, where you’ve got complete independence. I don’t think if you’re being paid by the NCAA you’re independent. But at least it’s better than it used to be, so I would expect a fairer shake than (KU) could have gotten. If this were the old system, I would not have given Kansas, or anybody else that was caught up in this FBI thing, much of a chance at all.”

Just after the 1-hour mark in the clip below Bilas discusses KU’s potential legal action after the ruling comes out sometime next year.

Bilas spoke for about 20 minutes total — from the 43-minute mark through 1:04 — and also weighed in on this week’s new law in California that allows college athletes in the state to be compensated for their likeness through endorsement deals and other means.

While the new law, signed by the California governor on Monday, does not go into effect until 2023, Bilas believes that it marks the beginning of some major changes forthcoming for the NCAA.

“This is probably the tipping point, if you will, of action,” he said. “They’re going to have to do something here. This is over. Everybody knows this. This is not amateur sports. This is professional sports. And they’re just calling it amateur. Amateur sports doesn’t make billions of dollars.”

Here is Monday’s entire RCST podcast, with Bilas talking for 21 minutes from :43 through 1:04.

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53942ESPN’s Jay Bilas talks California law and KU vs. the NCAA on Rock Chalk Sports Talk with Nick Schwerdt

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.