Welcome back! The world goes on and so do sports. What are we going to be talking about today?

• Judge delays NCAA settlement
• NBA and NHL Playoffs
• Grizzlies Playoffs
• Landeskog return for Avs
• Tyler Lockett signs with Titans
• New Joe Mazzulla Quote / Site Update

If there’s something you want to ask me, I have an email! Feel free to shoot other Tidbit topics to this email: esirfacelive@gmail.com

1.  Judge delays $2.8 billion settlement to address roster limit concerns

Here is the AP article that I was reading about this.¹ If you have been worried about walk-ons and NCAA football roster size news recently, this is the story it is stemming from.

The NCAA was sued in 2020 by Grant House (Arizona State Swimmer) in House v. NCAA.²

            Brief aside, Sedona Prince is the other co-plantif? For context, she’s a collegiate basketball player who did not get drafted to the WNBA because of her multiple domestic abuse allegations.³

The case has been overseen by the same Judge who ruled against the NCAA in O’Bannon v. NCAA (2014) and Alston v. NCAA (2020), Claudia Ann Wilken. In 2023, the lawsuit was granted Class Action status by Wilken. On May 23, 2024 the NCAA and its Power 5 conferences voted to approve a $2.8 billion preliminary settlement for three cases: House v. NCAA, Hubbard v. NCAA, and Carter v. NCAA.⁴ The settlement would see damages paid to athletes who had played from 2016 or later, and established a route for programs to establish a revenue sharing model. The revenue sharing in House v. NCAA is focused on broadcast rights revenue. The settlement gives the NCAA less of a financial penalty and input on the structure to the revenue sharing model.

Today, that settlement was “delayed” and sent both sides back to their corners to renegotiate in 14 days. The NCAA had new rules that were set to take place on July 1^st, so the NCAA’s legal team is pitching a fit. They argue that they are not going to be able to do anything to resolve roster issues if the roster cap drops. Judge Wilken argues that they are being too simplistic. She even suggested the idea of “grandfathering in” athletes. Meaning, if you are on a 135 man roster and the cap becomes 120, those extra 15 could stay on the roster. As a reminder, the NCAA went forward making these roster rules before they got the full acknowledgement of the settlement. Through the sources I listed earlier^{1 & 4} you can see a clear consensus that Judge Wilkens, was warning of a route to a potential trial. At the least, a delay in the settlement. Judge Wilkens is doing this in part because the NCAA stands (with its current rules) to eliminate potentially thousands of athletic roster spots across hundreds of schools. If that can be avoided, it should be, and this delay is seemingly an attempt to do so.

The delay is a good thing, for now. What the NCAA chooses to do with this will be really interesting. Historically though, that has not been in the best interest of anyone but themselves. They chose NIL over contracts to not call athletes employees. Despite having other employees who are students. They have chosen to attempt to demonize coaches for helping their athletes. The NCAA are the main reason why the current state of collegiate sports is so hectic and lawless.

As some of you may have gathered from my Nico article, I am very jaded towards the NCAA as an organization. This is not the only lawsuit that they are engaged in.⁷ This will not be the last one they will be engaged in. Nor should it be. The NCAA, quite frankly, deserves this. They are a billion-dollar non-profit (tax-free y’all). They do not give value to players. They keep the wealth of the work of the athlete. They are functionally a useless piece to sport. Replaceable at moment’s notice. Yet, catalyst and destructor of worlds. Unbelievable that we tolerate this.

All that being said, I am putting a pin in this. There is going to be more news on this case in a couple weeks. I am probably going to keep most of these outside of tidbits because this gets very long and research intensive. However, this is something I will keep up with more consistently. These cases are going to determine what happens to the NCAA, conferences, and the schools we all love supporting. It is important for the players to get their worth and value from these schools. It is possible to do that, and not lose the “integrity of college sports.” The value of college sports is in us fans, going to games. Chanting “Rocky Top” means more to the integrity of the sport than the NCAA wants to give it credit. Being a part of the environment and community that these teams represent is what college sports is, not the NCAA. The NCAA is a bullshit company that wants to steal from kids.

2. NBA and NHL Playoffs

The drama, the tension, the magic, it is all back folks. Pick your sport, but for the love of God just follow one of these. Consider this me begging, pleading, with you to watch the Western Conference Playoffs in the NBA?

Eric, I don’t like basketball.

I got you, check out Ovechkin’s run with the Capitals, or any of the high intensity playoff hockey that will be on display. The Stars are up 2-1 on the Avalanche right now, and they won both their games in Overtime. Usually, this time of year is amazing but this time around is just immaculate. There are so many fun matchups, narratives, and underdogs littered through both playoff scenes. Try to watch as much as you can! Be present in the moment folks, we are witnessing greatness.

3. Memphis Grizzlies Playoff Run

I don’t know what to think of the current state of the Grizzlies. Watching them is difficult because it feels like we are relying on massive overperformances (that do not come) night after night. It does not help that the Grizzlies collapsed in the late part of the Western Conference scramble. However, only winning 1 Quarter of basketball in 2 games is really tough. Especially playing the Thunder.

I am a big believer in “anything can happen” and they do come to Memphis tonight for Game 3, so they could win. I am just also pragmatic and would rather be surprised than unrealistically delusional about the matchup we face. Currently it feels like we have no answer for the Thunder. I could analyze it more but that would make me sadder than I want to be about this. The Grizzlies need to get Ja Morant some more help, is the bottom line. The West is perceivably a hell that can never be escaped. Some fantastical amalgamation of demons that cannibalize each other for the Celtics to win a championship. You have to have a set of demons to win it all, not just one and some ghosts and ghouls.

Demon metaphors aside, and regardless of how difficult the West is, this would also put a lid on the 2024 Tennessee pro sports calendar. How did we do? No titles. 1 out of 3 teams in the playoffs. The other two were, terrible. I guess to their credit, the Grizzlies did do their part for the state. Hopefully, they can keep it up.

4. Gabriel Landeskog returns for the Avalanche

Having last played in the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals, last night Forward Gabriel Landeskog returned to play for the Avalanche. He played 13 minutes for the Avs, recorded 6 hits, and did not have an offensive contribution in the low scoring 2-1 Dallas Overtime win. Contextually, it is great that he is back. He is their captain, and a physical presence. Despite not being offensively present on the stat sheet, to say he did not make a difference would be unfair.

In fact, that’s kind of the other part of this. Right now, the Avalanche are projected to be $6,136,805 over the cap.⁶ Gabriel Landeskog is accounting for $7 million in AAV for the Avalanche. Gabriel Landeskog was on Long Term Injured Reserve (LTIR). Which allows the Avalanche to carry his contract, without it hitting their cap. You can still activate players off of the LTIR during the playoffs, but your cap does not change. In fairness, the Dallas Stars are doing this with Miro Heiskanen, one of their top defensemen.⁷

This has been a long running tactic in the NHL. It started with the Blackhawks, then used by the Lightning both times they won championships. I do not want to fault teams for exploiting a loophole. This is on the NHL; the cap is still $88 million for NHL teams. Despite the on-ice product being better than ever, the NHL fails to innovate in TV and marketing and cannot deliver a good “at-home” experience to the fans. Meaning, they do not get good TV deals. You talk to sports fans in Nashville and you get the same thing, “I love going to preds games but its hard to watch on TV.” To me, it is hard to believe that we cannot find a way to raise league funds, and raise the cap. This feels unsustainable for the league.

5. Tyler Lockett signs a 1-year deal with the Tennessee Titans

32-year old Tyler Lockett has appeared!

Lockett is getting a $4 million deal worth up to $6 million.³ Not bad for the Titans in terms of cap. It is also a veteran WR for the impending arrival of Cam Ward. There are reasons for this to be potentially good for both parties. Lockett played well but only amassed 600 receiving yards. This was partially because of the rise of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but he only had four 1,000 yard receiving seasons for the Seahawks in the 9 seasons he was there. This is a good value signing, but I fear it is another typical Titans WR signing. Fun name, 5 years ago.

6. Joe Mazzulla Quotes

Joe Mazzulla is one of my favorite coaches in the NBA. He and Jose Mourinho need to talk. I think they have a really good understanding of each other. The things they say are just amazing. Truly I hope I can say something so casually unhinged someday.

I like his overall approach. He has the innate ability to take things very seriously and at the same time have a great perspective,” Mazzulla said postgame, according to WEEI’s Justin Turpin. “You see how he controls the environment really well with how he handles the crowd and how he handles the physicality of it. He can maintain his poise … and I think that helps us.” He added, “I like watching him bleed on the court. I think it’s important.”⁹

Incredible, immaculate, and just iconic. The thing is, I don’t even think this is one of his best ones. Its just hysterical. I have really appreciated Mazzulla’s approach to the media. Instagram Reels also loves showing me edits of Joe Mazzulla. In honor of that, I am going to try to commemorate a list of Joe Mazzulla quotes as I find them. Just as a fun little thing to have.

Sources

1 – https://apnews.com/article/ncaa-house-settlement-3fbd33cc14eec0d39c34d6df67d54ddb

2 – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_v._NCAA

3 – https://justwomenssports.com/reads/2025-wnba-draft-prospect-sedona-prince-of-tcu-goes-undrafted-amid-sexual-abuse-allegations/

4 – https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5510354/2024/05/23/house-v-ncaa-settlement-votes/

5 – https://frontofficesports.com/college-athletes-opt-out-house-ncaa-settlement/

6 – https://puckpedia.com/team/colorado-avalanche

7 – https://puckpedia.com/team/dallas-stars

8 – https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/44827400/titans-signing-wr-tyler-lockett-1-year-deal

9 –