Anthony Wilson
Amelia Island, Fla. — NCAA President Charlie Baker said “there is still a lot of work to be done” on a potential multibillion-dollar settlement of an antitrust lawsuit that could have a major impact on the future of college athletics.
Amid multiple reports Monday that the NCAA and Power Four conferences were working to resolve the issue NCAA v. Chamber that could cost nearly $2.9 billion and would likely come with a revenue-sharing model, Baker addressed a group of Atlantic Coast Conference coaches and administrators at the conference’s annual spring meetings. Baker later said a resolution of the lawsuit could calm a number of issues and allow for a different conversation on Capitol Hill as college administrators continue to seek an antitrust exemption.
“The most important part about the deal – and let’s face it, there’s still a lot of work to be done – the most important part about this is creating some clarity and some kind of visibility on a lot of issues that have been bothering everyone for a while now. time,” Baker said. “The other thing is it creates predictability and stability for schools. It also creates tremendous opportunities for student-athletes, especially at schools with the most resources.”
It creates a framework that allows for a different type of conversation with Congress. In many ways, I’m hopeful.”
ESPN reported on Monday that the leagues planned to vote on a proposed agreement by May 23 while Yahoo! Sports reported that a deadline was set for the defendants to reach a possible settlement by the end of May. Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports confirmed May 23 as an increasingly important deadline. Deal talks are expected to be a hot topic at conference meetings this month — first with the ACC this week and then with the Big Ten next week in Los Angeles and the SEC the last week of May in Destin. Each conference would need to approve the proposed agreement by a majority vote.
The NCAA agreed to pay past damages — where that nearly $2.9 billion number comes in — while schools would have to pay costs in the future, with multiple reports indicating that Power Four schools would pay more than $20 million. in revenue sharing. If the NCAA and schools cannot reach an agreement, the class action lawsuit is expected to begin in January 2025 and could be worth more than $4 billion in damages. Even if agreed this month, any revenue sharing is unlikely to come into effect before 2025, according to industry sources.
Baker, the former Massachusetts governor who took over the NCAA in March 2023, dismissed talk of a deadline set for next week but said that “if a deal happens, it will become a framework that we will all be working toward. It’s hard to figure out how to do the job in the best way possible for all student-athletes and for schools.”
“I don’t really have a time frame on this,” Baker said. “There are a lot of meetings going on. My take on this is the most important thing for us and for the folks at A(utonomy)4, A5 and folks on the plaintiff side is to continue to create clarity about what the terms will look like. No I’m setting a deadline for that.”
