NCAA could pay more than $2.7B to settle NIL suits, sources say - ESPN

The NCAA's national office might be footing the bill for a settlement expected to be more than $2.7 billion in the landmark House v. NCAA antitrust lawsuit in hopes of reshaping and stabilizing the college sports industry, according to multiple sources.

Sources told ESPN this week that parties have proposed the NCAA's national office — rather than its individual member schools or conferences — would pay for the settlement of past damages over a period of 10 years. The NCAA payments would be paid to former college athletes who say they were illegally prevented from making money by selling the rights to their name, image and likeness.

The settlement would come with a corresponding commitment from conferences and schools to share revenue with athletes moving forward, per sources. The settlement would establish a framework for power conferences to share revenue with their athletes in the future. Sources have told ESPN that schools are anticipating a ceiling of nearly $20 million per year for athlete revenue share moving forward. (That nearly $20 million number is a permissive cap derived from a formula based on each school's revenue, and schools could choose how much they want to spend.)

The dollar value and timing, sources cautioned, is not yet set in stone and could change due to the myriad variables involved in the case.

Steve Berman, co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs, told ESPN he believes the House case is «the difference-maker» after more than a decade of legal battles chipping away at the NCAA's rules. Berman declined to comment on the specifics of the ongoing settlement talks, but said the plaintiffs' leverage is growing as the case moves closer to trial.

«Our leverage is a big cannonball rolling down a hill and