A federal judge has granted final approval of a settlement of three antitrust cases addressing the compensation of college athletes Friday, ending a protracted legal debate and ushering in an extraordinary era that will allow NCAA member schools to directly pay their athletes and provide a $2.8 billion damages pool for former and current athletes.
According to the approval issued by U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken in Oakland, California, schools will be able to compensate their athletes for the use of their name, image and likeness across all sports through an expected initial annual allotment of $20 million-$23 million per school, according to estimates. The changes are set to go into effect July 1.
In a 76-page opinion, Wilken ruled that recent changes the principals had made to the settlement's inclusion of roster limits were sufficient. And, following through on what she had said weeks ago, she overruled a wide range of other objections that had been raised to the settlement, including those connected to Title IX and the rights of future athletes over the 10-year run of the settlement agreement.
"We could not be more excited for the hundreds of thousands of athletes who will now get to enjoy the tens of billions of dollars in new compensation and benefits that the settlement will provide," Steve Berman, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, told USA TODAY Sports. "It is a historic day for college sports and the rights of athletes."
