The exhaustion, but also the relief, was clear in the voice of a longtime college sports administrator late last week. This power broker is neither a hard-liner nor a revolutionary. But when granted anonymity to discuss negotiations surrounding a high-profile lawsuit, they had this to say on the subject of a possible settlement in House v. NCAA: “Hopefully, we’re finally about to get a new model for college athletics.”
That sums up the feelings of plenty of people in college sports these days.
A vibe shift within the industry is coming to a head this spring. After so much time complaining about and fighting the changes wrought by name, image and likeness freedoms and the transfer portal, it appears … emphasis on appears … that college leaders have reached a new stage: accepting their new normal and seeking actual, realistic solutions.
The evidence for this comes from the movement toward a settlement in the House case, in which plaintiffs are seeking damages for past athletes for lost earnings from the years before NIL reform, along with changes to the system to benefit current and future athletes. The two sides are discussing the details of a deal, first reported by ESPN and confirmed by The Athletic, which would cost the NCAA and its schools billions of dollars and…
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