FARGO, N.D.
State officials filed a lawsuit Friday against the NCAA to challenge its restrictions on the University of North Dakota’s Fighting Sioux nickname.
Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem says the lawsuit, filed in Northeast Central District Court in Grand Forks, alleges a breach of contract by the NCAA, a breach of good faith and illegal restraint of trade.
Stenehjem says the lawsuit seeks to allow UND to use the nickname throughout the school year without being sanctioned in possible postseason play, along with unspecified monetary damages.
The NCAA has banned the use of some American Indian nicknames and logos in postseason tournaments, saying they are hostile and abusive. But Stenehjem says the organization has overstepped its bounds.
“This is about a process to be followed by the NCAA,” he says. “Frankly, I don’t think that anybody, regardless of how they feel about the result, should be satisfied or pleased with the process.”
