The NCAA and Power Five conferences arrived at a proposed settlement with plaintiffs in three antitrust cases. That settlement, per USA TODAY Sports, is expected to establish an amount close to $2.8 billion in damages which will be paid out to athletes, possibly going as far back as 2016 for lost or missed compensation.
That settlement still needs to be approved in the courts, so there are still some unfinished and unresolved processes and procedures which need to run their course before money is distributed. That aside, there are still other legal and administrative processes which are still ongoing, and one wonders what kind of effect they will have on these interlocking issues and the dollar figures attached to them.
From USA TODAY Sports:
“There is already another ongoing antitrust suit against the NCAA and the conferences that has the potential to be a source of objection to the proposed settlement. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney in Denver denied a request from the NCAA and the conferences to move that case from Colorado to California.
“Had Sweeney granted the request, the NCAA and the conferences likely would have sought to have this suit consolidated with one of those covered by the proposed settlement.”
There is also this ongoing matter as well, per USA TODAY Sports:
“Representatives of the NCAA said Thursday night they will remain focused on efforts to keep athletes from being determined to be school employees, an issue that is the subject of another ongoing court case and complaints being pursued through the National Labor Relations Board.”
There are still so many uncertainties surrounding these issues, and the large amount of litigation attached to them makes it important to carry a wait-and-see attitude toward everything we are seeing in the NCAA and college sports.
Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.
Check out more NFL draft coverage with the USA TODAY Sports NFL Draft Hub.