KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee has lawyered up with a very distinguished attorney to defend against the NCAA in its investigation over potential Name, Image and Likeness infractions, according to the school.
William Burck is a trial lawyer for Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP and has been in quite a few high-profile lawsuits. He has experience working for the White House during the 2000s and served as Special Counsel and Deputy Counsel for former President George W. Bush.
Burck was also a member of the trial team in United States v. Martha Stewart, in which Stewart was found guilty on charges including conspiracy and obstruction of justice after selling her stake in ImClone Systems.
He defended New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft in a misdemeanor prostitution solicitation case. Those charges were dropped.
The attorney also defended former President Donald Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon in a case where the charges were that that he ripped off donors to an online fundraising scheme to build a southern border wall. Burck quit defending Bannon in that case.
Burck has also defended FIFA, the international soccer governing body.
News broke on Jan. 10 that the NCAA would investigate the University of Tennessee for violations over NIL -- an investigation partly looking into Tennessee star quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
On Tuesday, the federal case will unfold during a scheduled federal court hearing in Greeneville. Tennessee and Virginia are challenging the NCAA's ban on the use of NIL compensation in the recruitment of athletes -- calling the ban arbitrary and retroactive.