College Conferences Laud $2.8B NCAA Antitrust Settlement

U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken has given final approval to the $2.8 billion House vs. NCAA antitrust settlement, marking a new era in college athletics where schools can share up to about $20.5 million annually with athletes, starting July 1. The settlement also establishes new roster limits, replacing previous scholarship caps, and creates the College Sports Commission (CSC) to enforce rules and oversee penalties for violations. Commissioners from major conferences—including the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC—have called for congressional action to codify the settlement and emphasized the need for cooperation across all levels of college sports to implement it effectively. Schools like Boise State and Penn State have announced programs to manage revenue sharing and NIL opportunities for athletes, signaling readiness to embrace the changes. Institutions are drafting agreements to bind schools to enforcement policies, requiring them to waive rights to legal challenges against the CSC, with arbitration as the preferred dispute resolution method, and consequences for noncompliance include potential loss of conference membership. While the settlement aims to bring fairness and stability, commissioners acknowledge challenges ahead in adjusting culture and distributing payments across sports fairly.