In the wake of growing controversy, the NCAA announced on Thursday it would no longer sell team-related merchandise on its website. NCAA president Mark Emmert announced the decision two days after ESPN's Jay Bilas exposed how the association's online store connected players' names to merchandise, USA Today Sports reports.
Emmert spoke Thursday on a conference call and announced the cessation of selling team-related merchandise on its e-commerce site, ShopNCAASports.com.
"There's no compelling reason the NCAA should essentially be re-selling paraphernalia from institutions," Emmert said, via USA Today Sports. "I can't speak to why we entered into that enterprise, but it's not appropriate for us, and we're going to exit it."
The site, which is officially sanctioned by the NCAA and copyrighted by Fanatics Retail Group, came under fire when Bilas discovered typing a college player's name into the site's search bar brought up the player's replica jersey.
"Emmert said his understanding was that the NCAA itself made no money off the sale of that merchandise, but its Web site was essentially used as an aggregator for schools to sell it," Dan Wolken of USA Today Sports wrote. "Still, Emert said in the future that site will only carry merchandise with the NCAA logo."
As of Thursday, the search bar on ShopNCAASports.com is disabled.
Bilas' discovery, which he posted on Twitter, doesn't look good for the NCAA as it fights multiple lawsuits regarding its use of the name and likeness of college athletes.
"I think the business of having the NCAA sell those kind of goods is a mistake," Emmert said.
Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel is reportedly under investigation for receiving money in exchange for signing autographs, according to ESPN. Bilas' discovery intensifies the question of whether it's right for the NCAA to profit off players' names while the player cannot.
