Settlement designed to pay college athletes gets preliminary approval - ESPN

College athletes moved one significant step closer Monday to a future in which they can be paid directly by their schools.

Judge Claudia Wilken granted preliminary approval to the terms of an industry-changing antitrust settlement Monday morning, accepting a series of changes made by attorneys representing all Division I athletes, the NCAA and its Power Five conferences.

Wilken initially raised concerns that some elements of the settlement would limit future payments to players and fail to pass legal muster, but she wrote in her ruling this week that the court «will likely be able to approve the settlement as fair, reasonable and adequate.»

Wilken's order also established a schedule for the remaining steps to finalize the deal. Any athletes impacted by the settlement will have until Jan. 31 to file objections or opt out. A final hearing to approve the deal is schedule for April 7, 2025 — coincidentally the same day as the men's basketball championship game.

In May, attorneys for all parties agreed to settle a trio of antitrust lawsuits (House v. NCAA, Hubbard v. NCAA and Carter v. NCAA) that claimed the association's rules are illegally restricting the earning potential of college athletes. The NCAA agreed to pay roughly $2.8 billion in damages to former and current college athletes.

The deal also eliminates the restrictions on schools directly paying their players which have long been a cornerstone of the NCAA's amateurism rules. If the settlement is finalized, starting next year schools will be allowed to pay their players up to a certain limit. The cap is expected to start at slightly more than $20 million per school and increase on an annual basis.

«We are thrilled that we are one step closer to a revolutionary