A three-judge panel Wednesday upheld a 2014 ruling that found that the NCAA was too strict in defining the amateur status of its student-athletes. The panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit did not accept the judge’s suggestion that NCAA programs should pay their athletes $5,000 per year.

The court proceedings are referred to as the O’Bannon case, referring to UCLA basketball alum Ed O’Bannon, who leads a group of former college athletes in an antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA. O’Bannon has been a vocal critic of the NCAA policies toward using athletes’ images and likenesses without the athlete receiving any compensation.

The issue remains controversial on a national level, even among current student-athletes. Last month, UCLA football senior Caleb Benenoch posted a series of tweets similarly criticizing the NCAA’s refusal to pay athletes or subsidize needs such as rent.

The O’Bannon case has been in courts since 2009.

Compiled by Claire Fahy, Bruin Sports senior staff.