NCAA, country’s 5 largest conferences agree to pay nearly $2.8B to settle antitrust claims

The NCAA along with five conferences voted Thursday to approve a settlement agreement allowing colleges to pay their athletes directly.

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The NCAA and the five conferences agreed to pay around $2.8 billion to settle antitrust claims, according to The Associated Press. This would allow colleges to pay athletes directly starting in the 2025 fall semester.

The NCAA’s Board of Governors and leaders from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Pac-12 all voted to the settlement’s terms, ESPN reported.

The agreement is over three antitrust cases and the settlement damages would be distributed among current and former athletes, according to The Washington Post.

Division I athletes going back to 2016 can receive part of the settlement but cannot sue the NCAA for any possible antitrust violations. They also must drop their complaints in the three open antitrust cases — House v. NCAA, Hubbard v. NCAA and Carter v. NCAA — according to ESPN.

Damages are expected to be paid in over ten years, ESPN reported.

A federal judge still has to approve the deal, the AP reported.

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