Consider this one well past its due.
According to a report from Joey Kaufman of the Columbus Dispatch (subscription may be required), Ohio State will begin providing academic bonuses to all student-athletes this fall. That’s great, and OSU should be commended for it, but this all comes two years after a U.S. district court ruling by Judge Claudia Wilken paved the path for such an arrangement.
The ruling basically stated that limiting education-related compensation was a violation of federal antitrust laws, forcing the NCAA to change its rules, allowing schools to pay student-athletes up to $5,980 per year for their academic performance.
If you wondered where the dollar figure comes from, that amount is equal to the maximum amount of financial aid an athlete can receive for their athletic performance. So, to package it up for academic performance meets the same dollar figure.
The Ohio State athletic department will start offering academic bonus payments to athletes this fall, according to information provided to The Dispatch.
Those from all 36 varsity sports can pick up bonuses totaling $5,980 over the academic year: https://t.co/SnyVswNYuM
— Joey Kaufman (@joeyrkaufman) May 4, 2022
So far, big-time college football schools have been slow to come on board with the allowance, with only 22 of 130 FBS members taking advantage of the provision. In the Big Ten, just Wisconsin provides money for academic performance. That is, until now.
This is another good move by Ohio State, though a very costly one with 26 varsity sports under the athletic department’s umbrella. OSU will provide a $1,495 check to student-athletes each semester across them all.
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