For the last decade the NCAA has fought to keep athlete compensation out of college athletes. That fight could be nearing an end and it could be the thing that keeps the Syracuse Orange competing at the highest level.
Reports from ESPN and Yahoo Sports indicate that NCAA President Charlie Baker, conference commissioners and of course lawyers, are meeting to discuss settlement of the House vs. NCAA lawsuit, which is scheduled to go to court in January.
The 10-year settlement agreement could cost each power school as much as $300 million over the decade, or $30 million a year. That figure assumes a school meets what is believed to be: (1) a $17-22 million revenue distribution cap for athletes; (2) at least $2 million in withheld NCAA distribution for back damages; and (3) as much as $10 million in additional scholarship costs related to an expansion of sport-specific roster sizes — a previously unpublicized concept.
There’s still a lot to be agreed upon, but it’s progress and the notion of a revenue cap could help level the playing field a bit in football. Will the SEC and B10 play nice with the other leagues? We won’t hold our breath there, but when schools start sharing the revenue they will have to make tougher decisions like new Texas A&M AD Trev Alberts did when he chose to terminate senior level staff because “schools could be adding $15 million to $20 million to their budgets annually for what he termed a “new expense category” in college athletics.”
While the administrators are trying to figure out their end, the players are looking to get their voices heard.
This story will certainly be one to watch as we head into the summer.
