NCAA, Power 5 agree to deal that will let schools pay players - ESPN

The NCAA and its five power conferences have agreed to allow schools to directly pay players for the first time in the 100-plus-year history of college sports.

The NCAA and its leagues are planning to alert plaintiffs' attorneys Thursday that they are prepared to move forward with a multibillion-dollar agreement to settle three pending federal antitrust cases, sources told ESPN. The NCAA will pay more than $2.7 billion in damages over 10 years to past and current athletes, according to sources. Sources said the parties also have agreed to a revenue-sharing plan allowing each school to share up to roughly $20 million per year with its athletes.

All Division I athletes dating back to 2016 are eligible to receive a share as part of the settlement class. In exchange, athletes cannot sue the NCAA for other potential antitrust violations and drop their complaints in three open cases — House v. NCAA, Hubbard v. NCAA and Carter v. NCAA.

The settlement terms must be approved by Judge Claudia Wilken, who is presiding over all three cases. That process is expected to take several months, and sources said schools likely will begin sharing revenue in fall 2025. The NCAA's Board of Governors and leaders from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Pac-12 voted to accept the general terms laid out in a 13-page document.

The agreement does not resolve all the pending legal issues that have revolutionized the business of college sports and destabilized the multibillion-dollar industry. Athletes and their advocates are still fighting to become employees or find other ways to collectively bargain in the future, which could reshape a revenue-sharing agreement. This week's agreement, though, potentially decreases the NCAA's exposure to antirust