Northwestern said it will vigorously fight a federal antitrust lawsuit initiated by a former player who wants to abolish the NCAAs rule requiring transfers to sit for a year.Johnnie Vassars class-action lawsuit, filed Monday, claims that school officials forced him to surrender his scholarship via misleading and intimidating tactics. Once he left the program, he was subjected to the NCAAs destructive rules that require transfers to sit for a year before theyre eligible at their next schools, the lawsuit claims.Vassar, who is not playing for any basketball team this season, and his attorneys seek immediate eligibility for all transfers.We do not believe this claim has any legal merit, Al Cubbage, Northwesterns vice president for university relations, said in a statement from the school. We will defend the University vigorously.Vassars class-action lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, on Monday, alleges that Northwestern staffers pushed the Chicago native out of the program after the 2014-15 season because they wanted to use his scholarship for another player.The following year -- Vassar remained in school -- his athletic scholarship was converted into an academic scholarship so it would not count toward the NCAAs limit of 13 athletic scholarships per team, according to the lawsuit. Prior to that conversion, his lawyers claim, the school and the NCAA disrupted his career because other schools refused to offer him a scholarship because hed have to miss a year of competition if he transferred.We see this destructive double-standard again and again -- non-student-athletes are free to transfer and are eligible for a new scholarship without waiting a year, Steve Berman, the lawyer representing the class of athletes involved in this lawsuit, said in a statement. Coaches often transfer to the tune of a hefty pay raise. But meanwhile, student-athletes are penalized and forced to sit out a year before they can play elsewhere. The NCAA needs to level the playing field for these thousands of kids who face undue punishment under its senseless bylaws.The lawsuit claims that Vassar was told he would lose his spot on the team after his freshman season in 2014-15. Team officials, per the lawsuit, then proceeded to deceive Vassar and separate him from his former teammates by putting him on an internship under which he worked as a janitor instead of permitting him to train and play with his teammates when they decided they did not want him to remain with the program, thereby obstructing his career and future. Vassar also claims he was asked if hed take money to leave.On March 30, 2015, Northwestern coach Chris Collins announced Vassars decision to transfer.Johnnie let us know that he has chosen to pursue another university to continue his career, Collins said in a statement then. We support his decision and enjoyed having him as a member of the program this season. He is a talented player with a bright future, and we wish him nothing but the best in everything he does going forward.Vassar then reportedly tweeted that he desired a more integral role with a new program after averaging 3.9 minutes per game his freshman season. He thanked Collins for the opportunity.In the class-action lawsuit filed Monday, however, Vassar claims that he was pressured to a sign a form that said he had volunteered to leave. The suit claims that the NCAAs unfair transfer rules allow coaches to forcefully remove players whenever they want to create an opening for another talent.After his teams victory over Eastern Washington on Monday, Collins told reporters, Well let those things be handled behind closed doors when asked about the lawsuit. Discount NHL Jerseys . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Cheap Buffalo Sabres Jerseys China . Three came down to the fourth quarter while quarterbacks continued to shine in all four games; so important to the overall quality of the game. http://www.cheaphockeychina.com/ . -- The Sacramento Kings are set to become the first major professional sports franchise to accept Bitcoin virtual currency for ticket and merchandise purchases. Hockey Jerseys China . -- Cam Newton pranced into the end zone, placed his hands over his chest and did his familiar Superman pose. Clearance Hockey Jerseys Store . Andrew Luck lost his favourite target and the Indianapolis locker room lost one of its most revered leaders when Reggie Wayne was diagnosed Monday with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee that will cost him the rest of the season. Newcomers dont take long to impact college basketball -- not in this world of one-and-dones and transfers. Over the next two weeks, we will look at the top five newcomers in each of the 10 biggest conferences. Next up is the American.As the American Athletic Conference tries to build the depth of its conference, the reality is the rich just continue to get richer. With the exception of one outlier, the best new blood in the conference belongs to what have traditionally been the best teams in the league. And even more interesting, the flagship team, the one with the most recent national championship, is very much on the upwardly mobile move.Alterique Gilbert, UConn Huskies The prize of a heralded class for Kevin Ollie, Gilbert is one of the best playmakers in the Class of 2016?(No. 30 in ESPN 100). He averaged 16.5 points, 5.6 assists, 4.5 steals and 4.5 rebounds at Miller Grove High School in Georgia, where he led his team to three state titles. Gilbert played in the McDonalds All-American game and gave UConn fans a scare during the Jordan Brand Classic-- while going for a steal, Gilbert fell to the floor and was helped off the court. The diagnosis? A dislocated shoulder, which Gilbert has suffered before. This time he opted for surgery, which will keep him out of action until later this month. But hes already on campus, rehabbing with the UConn athletic training staff and is expected to be ready for the season, where he will join?Jalen Adams?in what figures to be an electric backcourt.Semi Ojeleye, SMU Mustangs Caught in a logjam of frontcourt players, Ojeleye wisely decided to transfer from Duke in 2015. He had averaged just 10.5 minutes per game for Coach K, and with Chase Jeter still to come, Ojeleye figured hed be better served elsewhere. He wound up at SMU and would have been eligible in the second semester of last season, but former coach Larry Brown elected to redshirt him. Now the 6-foot-8 forward finally will have a chance to play. How good will he be? Thats the big question. Ojeleye has never really been able to show his stuff as a collegiate player, but he was once the Parade Magazine National Player of the Year, a Kansas high school scoring record holder and ranked as the 40th-best player in the Class of 2013. With Markus Kennedy gone, one thing Ojeleye should know for certain -- hell at least get his chance at SMU.Jarron Cumberland, Cincinnati Bearcats Hot shooters arent exactly the first thing you think of when you think of the Bearcats; blue-collar workers and ddefenders are more like it.dddddddddddd. Cumberland, a freshman from Ohio and the No. 55 player in his class, may change that. He averaged 24.5 points, and recruiting analysts say he simply knows how to score. That hes built like a linebacker doesnt hurt, and it certainly puts him in line with the typical Bearcat look and mentality. Of course, if hes going to play for coach Mick Cronin, hes going to have to learn how to defend a little bit, too. But with second-leading scorer Farad Cobb graduated, there will be ample opportunity for Cumberland to get his points.Juwan Durham, UConn Huskies Durham hasnt played since the final game of his junior season of high school. Back then, in the state playoff game for his Tampa Prep team, he collided with another player. What looked like a typical bang-bang play in a basketball game left Durham with a torn ACL. Seven months later, Durham was working on a treadmill, looking forward to his senior season, when he felt a tweak in his then-good knee. A few minutes later, during a shooting drill, it gave out altogether: He had torn his other ACL. Goodbye, senior year. That UConn stuck by Durham (No. 52 in ESPN 100) shows what the word commitment means to coach Kevin Ollie. A number of other schools stopped recruiting Durham after the first injury. But provided he he returns healthy, Durham is worth it. He averaged 22.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game in high school. With Amida Brimah and Rodney Purvis alongside him, Durham also has the luxury of time.Troy Baxter, South Florida Bulls Expect to see Baxter on a few highlight reels and maybe at a future dunk contest near you. The Florida native won the American Family Insurance High School dunk contest this year, even earning a perfect mark from the usually stingy Shaquille ONeal. The lanky forward ranked 90th in his class and figures to be a big part of an injection of new energy for the Bulls rebuilding project under head coach Orlando Antigua, alongside Texas Tech transfer Isaiah Manderson and former Penn Stater Geno Thorpe. The coach, in fact, has stressed that Baxter is much more than a dunker, pointing out that the 6-foot-8 forward can shoot from the outside and is quick enough to even defend smaller guards. With a team that finished only 8-25 last season, Baxter ought to get plenty of playing time and could make a big splash for a team in dire need of some oomph. ' ' '