ABOUT US

RICHARD FORD

Co-FOUNDER & CEO
Richard Ford has been connected to athletes’ rights since the 1980s through his work with Dick Devenzio, a pioneer in the field. Through years of intensive research, Richard analyzes college sports regulatory, legal, and cultural issues through a values-based lens.
In his podcast, the BigAmateurism monologues, and through DYK, Richard emphasizes unreported and underreported issues and narratives.
Richard received his undergraduate degree in Public Policy from Duke University (1984) and his law degree from the University of Georgia (1988).
Richard spent over a decade as a litigation attorney representing clients in state and federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court. He also has academic experience as an adjunct professor, clinical advisor, and administrator in the law school setting.
While at Duke, Richard played basketball under legendary Coach Mike Krzyzewski, going from a walk-on to a scholarship player and, ultimately, a team captain. He brings a unique perspective to his critique of college sports.

Casey Floyd

Co-Founder & COO
Casey Floyd has been an athletes’ rights advocate for over a decade. Casey grew up a huge UCLA fan and Ed O’Bannon became his childhood hero after O’Bannon led UCLA to the 1995 NCAA Championship. Almost two decades later, Casey was a law student when O’Bannon sued the NCAA. Casey became obsessed with the lawsuit and was disturbed to learn the unsettling truth that college athletes were the only American citizens prohibited from using their own name, image, and likeness. The legal injustices and civil rights issues became Casey’s driving force, rerouting his career toward the intertwined worlds of college athletics and civil rights.
Served at multiple Power Five institutions including as Director of Compliance at the University of Michigan
Worked at a Division I Conference Office, which provided a broader perspective
Half a decade on the NAAC Legislation and Governance Committee
Casey received his undergraduate degree in Business Law and Marketing from California State University Northridge (2011) and his law degree from Washington and Lee School of Law (2015). Casey saw behind the veil and realized all sincere feedback related to NIL and athlete compensation was dismissed and some committee structures were just smoke and mirrors for the public. This revelation pushed him to venture out in 2020, co-founding NOCAP Sports in search of a more impactful path.

WHY WE ARE DOING THIS

DYK Media champions education, transparency, accountability, economic freedom, and athlete empowerment. DYK hopes to make the Byzantine world of big-time college sports more accessible to athletes and other stakeholders. DYK aims to provide athletes with a comprehensive, research and fact-based rebuttal to dominant, self-serving institutional and corporate narratives built primarily around college sports’ mythologies. DYK hopes to motivate athletes to own their power and destiny through education and informed, thoughtful advocacy.

Advisors

Michele Roberts

Advisor
Michele A. Roberts, Esq., widely recognized as one of the nation’s premier trial lawyers and litigators, is the former executive director of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA). As the first woman to head a major professional sports union in North America, she negotiated for NBPA members new collective bargaining agreements that secured better salaries, schedules and health protocols for union members.