NCAA Settlement Will Allow Direct Payment To Athletes

On Thursday, May 23, 2024, the NCAA and the Power Five conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC) announced a settlement of three class-action antitrust lawsuits pending in the Northern District of California. The historic settlement – if approved by the judge overseeing the case – will have major implications for college and university athletic programs, athletes, boosters, and fans.

The terms of the settlement are not yet public, but have been described by counsel for the Plaintiffs. Under its terms, the NCAA and conferences will pay $2.75 billion dollars over 10 years to compensate Division 1 athletes who were unable to benefit from the current rules allowing players to profit from their name, image, and likeness, or "NIL." The NCAA will fund almost $1 billion of the settlement by reducing future disbursements to smaller conferences.