Sportico Covers Sports Practice Chair Gregg Clifton's Win Allowing Client To Play For San Diego State This Season

Phoenix, Ariz. (September 24, 2025) – Sportico has published an article covering the success of Phoenix Partner and Sports Practice Chair Gregg Clifton and his Lewis Brisbois legal team of Brandon Wright and Conor Donze and their successful representation of San Diego State defensive lineman Tatuo Martinson, who secured the right to play this season after the NCAA attempted to enforce its Five-Year Rule to end his eligibility.

U.S. District Judge Richard Boulware issued a preliminary injunction that rejected the NCAA's effort to sideline Martinson, sharply criticizing the association's rules as "likely an undue restraint on trade imposed by the NCAA's monopsony power over the rapidly transforming labor market for competitive college football services." Judge Boulware emphasized that with direct pay to student-athletes through the House settlement and the explosive growth of NIL compensation, Division I college sports now function as a labor market with compensated workers.

Martinson began his career at American River College before transferring to UNLV, where he excelled both academically and athletically. He transferred to San Diego State earlier this month as an "in-season addition" but was initially declared ineligible by the NCAA. Judge Boulware ruled that excluding Martinson would cause irreparable harm by depriving him of the opportunity to compete, develop skills, and secure NIL deals—losses that cannot be adequately compensated with money damages.

This victory marks the second major win this year by Mr. Clifton and Lewis Brisbois' Sports Practice Team of Wright and Donze against NCAA eligibility restrictions. In July, Mr. Clifton's team secured a preliminary injunction on behalf of University of Nevada Reno wide receiver Cortez Braham Jr., described here.

As Sportico noted, the Martinson ruling underscores courts' growing willingness to subject NCAA eligibility rules to antitrust scrutiny in light of NIL, revenue sharing, and the evolving economics of college sports.

Mr. Clifton is the chair of Lewis Brisbois' Collegiate & Professional Sports Law Practice, vice chair of the Traditional Labor Law Practice, and a member of the firm's Entertainment, Media & Sports and Labor & Employment Practices. He has extensive experience in the collegiate and professional sports world and has advised numerous professional franchises on a range of labor and employment issues, including Title III ADA regulatory compliance and wage and hour issues. Mr. Clifton is also an editor of The Official Review, Lewis Brisbois' sports law blog.

Mr. Wright is a member of the General Liability, Hospitality, and Transportation Practices. Mr. Wright has been a member of Lewis Brisbois' Hospitality Group for over 10 years. He has defended restaurants, casinos, hotels, and department stores against slip/trip-and-fall and other premise liability cases in various stages of litigation and on appeal. Mr. Wright also represents numerous trucking, logistics, mass transit and livery companies in the defense of transportation matters.

Mr. Donze is a member of the Entertainment, Media & Sports Practice. As an associate in the practice group, Conor's work focuses on preparing and negotiating agreements in the music, digital media, technology, art and fashion industries, including recording agreements, publishing agreements, endorsement agreements, and production agreements.

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