Seasoned sports attorney Pete Rush talks college eligibility, Purdue's Cluff and much more

As Purdue’s Oscar Cluff‘s potential for another year is still to be fully flushed out we recently caught up with seasoned sports attorney Peter G. “Pete” Rush. The Duke Law and Notre Dame undergrad has been involved with numerous eligibility cases in college athletics over the years.

He shared his thoughts on Cluff’s possibility for another year of eligibility and much more in the hour-long interview. Rush feels Cluff, who played a year of junior college before heading to Washington State and has played only three years of NCAA-level college basketball, has a very good case for it, given the precedent set by recent rulings.

Rush is a Lafayette native who grew up a huge Purdue fan in a family of die-hard Purdue supporters. Lafayette area residents might remember Rush Metal, the family business that provided numerous summer jobs to Purdue athletes back in the day.

Here is an excerpt; the entire interview is below.

GoldandBlack.com: How do recent eligibility rulings (Vanderbilt Diego Pavia, Blythe) affect college athletes and could that matter for Purdue’s Oscar Cluff?
Rush: The Blythe decision found NCAA eligibility rules can violate the Sherman Act, signaling federal antitrust exposure for the NCAA. That legal shift increases uncertainty around eligibility clocks and relief pathways for players. For Purdue basketball, it means roster timing and player availability could be more litigated and less predictably controlled by the NCAA.

GoldandBlack.com: Should eligibility and NIL issues push college sports toward collective bargaining, and what would that mean for Purdue basketball?
Rush: The pro model—players organized with bargaining power and schools negotiating collectively—creates parity and clear rules on pay, practice, and roster limits. For Purdue basketball (and athletics in all), collective bargaining could stabilize recruiting, roster management, and revenue distribution, so the program can compete under predictable guardrails. That structure would let Purdue plan long-term rather than react to ad hoc market shifts.

Q: Would a football-focused super league hurt or help schools like Purdue and their other sports, including basketball?
Rush: Carving off football into a professionalized Super League would concentrate media money while allowing other sports to remain in a more collegiate model. For Purdue basketball, that could mean less budget pressure and clearer institutional priorities if football’s commercial demands are separated. It would also preserve resources to support basketball competitiveness if the university chooses to keep it a priority.

GoldandBlack.com: Is Purdue football at risk of being excluded from a top-tier restructure, and can the program recover quickly if left out?
Rush: It shouldn’t be doomed for Purdue because programs can change fast with the right decisions, coaching, and alumni support. Over-inclusive initial membership or promotion/relegation models let programs climb back into the top tier, so Purdue can still be competitive with good strategy. The key is institutional commitment to invest wisely in coaching and personnel.

GoldandBlack.com: Would a draft or stricter roster controls replace the transfer portal, and how would that impact Purdue basketball recruiting?
Rush: A draft and fixed resource pools would limit unlimited bidding and create more parity since schools can’t outspend everyone. For Purdue basketball, that would change recruiting strategy toward development and fit rather than bidding wars, and could stabilize roster construction. Players who prefer a different path could opt out for non-draft leagues or Ivy-like models, preserving choice.

GoldandBlack.com: What lessons from the (Northwestern running back) Darnell Autry image-rights case that you were the point person legally in the 1990s, and how does that matter for current college athletes?
Rush: The Autry case established that players own their images and can pursue outside opportunities, undermining NCAA claims to blanket control. That sets the legal precedent that supports NIL rights and individual commercial opportunities without blanket NCAA interference. It reinforced and introduced the idea that players should capture value from media exposure while schools adapt contractually.

GoldandBlack.com: You grew up a huge Purdue fan, being raised in Lafayette. Does Purdue have a realistic chance in this year’s NCAA tournament and what does the team need to do?
Rush: Yes, Purdue has a chance if it sustains the defensive intensity shown in recent games, which makes them very difficult to score against. Senior leadership and consistent defense can carry them through the bracket with the right seeding and matchup path. If Purdue keeps that energy and execution, they should not be counted out.