NCAA-Basketball-10
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Former Celtics coach suing EA, NCAA over misuse of likeness
Former Boston Celtics center and coach Bill Russell is suing both Electronic Arts and the National Collegiate Athletic Association over what he claims is a misuse of his likeness. In his complaint, Russell accuses EA and the NCAA of illegally using his image for the "Tournament of Legends" mode in the NCAA game franchise, and says he hasn't been offered money or asked for consent. Russell's complaint isn't the first of its kind to be made against the sports game giant, with one case being successful against EA while another, more recent one was dismissed on First Amendment grounds. For its part, the NCAA sympathizes with Russell, but doesn't necessarily agree with his complaint. It said the suit and others like it "would cause the NCAA to lock up its archive of champion contests, and they would be held hostage unless every student-athlete, coach, band member, cheerleader and fan in a photo or camera shot received compensation." EA, on the other hand, withheld comment.
EA tells NCAA Basketball games to hit the showers, 'reviewing' future of franchise
"We do not have an NCAA Basketball game in development at this time, and we're currently reviewing the future of our NCAA Basketball business," said EA Sports' senior director of communications David Tinson in a recent Game Informer interview. "This was a difficult decision, but we remain a committed partner to the NCAA and its member institutions." It's an odd move, considering EA's biggest rival, 2K Sports' NCAA College Hoops series, hasn't seen any new releases since its 2K8 installment, leaving the market wide open. Tinson confirmed that the team responsible for the series won't be laid off, but rather assimilated into the NBA Jam and NBA Live teams at EA Canada, dashing our hopes that an EA-developed Harlem Globetrotters game could come from this.
Blake Griffin selected as NCAA Basketball 10 cover athlete
Click image for hi-res box art The Oklamahoma Sooners power forward, and AP player of the year, Blake Griffin will be gracing the cover of EA's NCAA Basketball 10. Even though he's headed to the NBA in this year's draft, Griffin's time in the NCAA will not be forgotten, making him a great choice for the game's cover. If it were us, we'd probably have toned down the airbrushing, though.
