A multibillion-dollar settlement between college sports and its athletes is nearing completion after a federal court hearing Monday. The deal, worth roughly $2.8 billion in damages, aims to reshape the business of college sports by limiting how much schools can spend on their athletes per year.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has agreed to pay damages to past and current athletes for claiming its rules have limited their earning potential. In exchange, the NCAA will be allowed to limit spending on athletes, with an expected starting salary cap of $20.5 million per school. This cap is expected to increase annually over a 10-year period.
However, some objectors argued that the settlement could lead to the elimination of thousands of roster spots on Division I teams across the country. The current rules place limits on the number of scholarships each team can give to its players. Under the new rule, schools may have to cut athletes from their rosters if they exceed the limit.
One freshman swimmer at the University of Utah, Gannon Flynn, expressed concerns about the impact of the settlement on his team. “We’re not here for money. We just want to play and compete,” he said. Wilken suggested allowing current athletes to keep their spots even if it means exceeding the roster limit.
The NCAA remains optimistic that the deal will be approved, with one attorney saying they are standing by their settlement as fair. The court has given lawyers until next week to address Wilken’s concerns, which includes revising a provision related to the number of athletes on each school’s roster.
Source: https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/44579716/house-settlement-nears-finalization-amid-judge-last-concerns