The NCAA passed rules to allow colleges to pay athletes directly in accordance with a multibillion-dollar lawsuit settlement.
This marks a significant change in the history of college sports as it overturns decades of precedent.
The big picture: Final approval by a federal judge is still required before the new guidelines can officially go into effect on July 1.
- The changes will eliminate around 150 NCAA rules and modify others in the rulebook to allow schools to pay athletes directly, set roster limits in place of scholarship caps, establish annual reporting requirements for schools paying athletes, create a clearinghouse for name, image, and likeness deals over $600, and grant authority to enforce the new rules.
Go deeper: Schools are set to have a payment pool of approximately $20.5 million for the biggest schools starting next academic year.
- Athletes must be enrolled full-time and making progress towards their degree to receive these benefits.
What we’re watching: Technology platforms are being considered for schools to monitor payments to athletes and for athletes to report their third-party NIL deals.
- A working group is exploring ways to streamline NCAA governance, particularly as larger conferences seek more decision-making power.
