AAC sets minimum for schools to share revenue with athletes - ESPN

The American Athletic Conference will require each member except Army and Navy to provide athletes with at least $10 million in additional benefits over the next three years, making it the only league so far to set a minimum standard with revenue sharing expected to begin in Division I sports in July.

AAC presidents approved the plan last week after they reviewed a college sports consulting firm's study of the conference's financial wherewithal. The three-year plan will go into effect once a federal judge approves the $2.8 billion House v. NCAA antitrust settlement, which is expected next month.

Commissioner Tim Pernetti said Wednesday that 13 of the 15 AAC schools would opt in to the House settlement, which, among other things, provides for payments to athletes of up to $20.5 million per school the first year. Army and Navy are excluded because they do not offer athletic scholarships and their athletes cannot accept name, image and likeness money.

«For the conference, stepping forward and saying we're not only opting in but here's what we're going to do at a minimum signifies the serious nature and our commitment to not only delivering a great experience for student-athletes but to success,» Pernetti said.

Officials from the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC told The Associated Press that each of their schools will be free to decide their level of revenue sharing. Power conference schools generate the most television revenue, and most are expected to fund the full $20.5 million or close to it.

The AAC plan, first reported by Yahoo Sports, would allow each school to set its own pace to hit the $10 million total by 2027-28. For example, a school could share $2 million the first year, $3 million the second and $5