The NIL blew down the pillars of the archaic model of the NCAA. After a long House v. NCAA case lawsuit, the college football’s premier body decided to settle and will be doling out $2.8 billion in settlement to players, both current and former. Overjoyed by the settlement, Brandon Powell, a former Super Bowl champion with the Rams, took to social media and asked for his share through any available means.
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“Ay NCAA I need my cheese! Tell them boys I accept coins, checks, cash…hell I’ll even put them boys on a payment plan,” wrote Powell.
Powell’s story pic.twitter.com/tFEV9ivkgl
— ayushjuneja (@Liverpudlian61) May 25, 2024
The NCAA and Power Five conferences (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12, and SEC), all collectively agreed to settle; thus avoiding a potentially tripled payout, had the case gone to trial. Former athletes, who were restricted from earning money from their athletic services and NIL, will be compensated.
NCAA has finally admitted to wrongdoing though not officially or legally, but the decision to settle the antitrust lawsuit will bring about changes in the college structure and athletes’ role in it.
NCAA Makes Amends
NCAA’s settlement will usher college football into a new era where the players will get compensated for their ability to generate money for the football programs. As per CBS Sports, every D1 school will get 22% of the average revenue of Power 5 schools in the first year, which could come out to be nearly $20 million.
The decision also opened the gates for the schools to give out more scholarships to D1 athletes across all sports. A revenue model has been proposed where the Power 5 schools will pay their players up to $22 million every year. This model will take some time to establish, as many schools are still not willing to agree to it. This compensation will be besides NIL and booster collectives offering money in the form of NIL.
The athletes have been carrying the billion-dollar industry on their backs for a long time. While there is a view that college sports are for players to learn and not earn, and the players have been criticized for accepting big NIL payments, the conferences and the NCAA continue to get rich from the fruits of athletes’ labor.
Not everyone goes on to play the sport professionally at the highest level. This would allow those players to get compensated even if they don’t make it further than the D1 ball.
