NCAA to allow Power 5 conferences to pay players in unprecedented agreement: report

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For the first time in the history of college sports, the NCAA has agreed to allow its Power Five conferences to pay players directly, according to ESPN.

ESPN learned the NCAA and the conferences are planning to move forward with a "multibillion-dollar agreement to settle three pending federal antitrust cases," and the organization will "pay more than $2.7 billion in damages over 10 years to past and current athletes."

There has also reportedly been an agreement on a revenue-sharing plan, which would allow each school to share up to around $20 million per year with athletes. 

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The NCAA logo on the 2023 Division I men's basketball national championship trophy Nov. 27, 2022, at Pizzitola Sports Center in Providence, R.I. (Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Power Five conferences — the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Pac-12 — all voted to accept the general terms of the agreement with the NCAA. 

As part of the settlement, Division I athletes dating back to 2016 who wish to receive a share of the settlement are not permitted to sue the NCAA for other antitrust violations. And if they’re a part of House v. NCAA, Hubbard v. NCAA or Carter v. NCAA, they must drop their complaints. ESPN adds revenue sharing will likely start in the fall of 2025. 

This may just be the beginning of how college sports are about to evolve. There are still other legal issues to hash out, including athletes' interest in becoming employees and possibly unionizing.

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