Wilkinson Stekloff Partner Rakesh Kilaru has been recognized by Law360 as a 2024 MVP for Sports & Betting. Selected from more than 900 submissions, this year’s class of MVPs has distinguished themselves from their peers by securing hard-earned successes in high-stakes litigation, complex global matters, and record-breaking deals.
Most recently, Rakesh served as the lead defense negotiator of a groundbreaking settlement, announced in May 2024, involving a series of antitrust class action lawsuits brought by hundreds of thousands of current and former student-athletes against the NCAA and the Autonomy Five collegiate athletic conferences. Seeking to revolutionize college sports, plaintiffs challenged NCAA rules that limit student-athlete compensation and benefits, including rules restricting student-athletes from the commercial use of their name, image, and likeness (“NIL”), as well as rules prohibiting professional-style revenue sharing.
Preliminary approval of the $2.78 billion settlement, one of the largest and most consequential litigation settlements in sports and antitrust history, was granted on October 7, 2024. The lengthy negotiations involved the NCAA president, commissioners of the Autonomy Five, and dozens of lawyers. Rakesh surfaced as the architect of the settlement and the lead negotiator for the joint defense group, securing a deal designed to institute an era of “antitrust peace” for the NCAA and the entire college sports landscape for the next decade.
Rakesh also served as co-lead trial counsel for the NFL and its 32 member clubs in a class action lawsuit brought by residential and commercial subscribers of the NFL’s Sunday Ticket package. The plaintiffs sought over $21 billion in damages post-trebling as well as injunctive relief that would undermine the NFL’s entire broadcast model. Rakesh examined several key witnesses at trial, including the NFL’s chief media and business officer and its expert econometrician. Rakesh also directed the NFL’s legal strategy, including the post-trial briefing that resulted in a complete victory for the NFL.
Delivering major victories in two of the most significant sports matters in the country, Rakesh has confirmed his standing as the first choice for clients facing the toughest and most consequential litigation in professional and college sports today.