The proposed House v. NCAA settlement, which includes the landmark $2.78 billion settlement of three separate antitrust cases facing the NCAA and power conferences, received preliminary approval on Monday from Judge Claudia Wilken in the Northern District of California, clearing the way for schools to begin paying players directly through revenue sharing as early as 2025.
The approval comes after a preliminary hearing last month during which Wilken sent the settlement parties “back to the drawing board,” mainly over issues regarding proposed restrictions on third-party name, image and likeness (NIL) payments to college athletes.
Lawyers representing both sides of the settlement — which aims to resolve the House, Hubbard and Carter antitrust lawsuits — filed a revised version of the settlement agreement late last month that aimed to clarify use of the term “booster,” the original language on third-party NIL collectives and what specifically constitutes the pay-for-play inducements the NCAA is aiming to eliminate as part of the settlement.
Wilken, who previously presided over the notable Alston and O’Bannon cases against the NCAA, did not provide any additional explanation for granting preliminary approval on Monday. The settlement is not yet finalized, though the…
