In a significant development for NCAA athletes, lawyers involved in a proposed settlement related to athlete compensation antitrust cases recently announced that they have addressed a federal judge’s concerns about roster limits. This update came in a filing on May 7, as the settlement faced scrutiny from U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken.
The initial concern from Judge Wilken was about the immediate implementation of sport-specific roster limits, which she argued could unfairly jeopardize the positions of many athletes. On April 23, she expressed that the proposed settlement did not seem fair because thousands of students might lose their spots on teams after the current school year. Following her comments, she provided the parties involved a two-week period to resolve these issues.
In the latest filing, lawyers for the plaintiffs and the NCAA reached an agreement designed to protect athletes from losing their roster spots. They proposed that any athlete who faced losing their position for the 2025-2026 academic year due to these roster limits will now be exempt from them across all Division I institutions during their college athletic careers. While this **exemption** doesn’t eliminate the roster limits altogether, it offers schools the flexibility to retain athletes who were active on rosters in the 2024-25 season.
Also included in the agreement is the ability for schools to accommodate high school seniors who were promised a spot on a Division I school’s roster for the upcoming academic year. However, NCAA lawyers made it clear that ”there are no guarantees” for these athletes to keep their spots as it ultimately depends on the discretion of individual coaches and institutions.
Despite these modifications, some lawyers representing objectors to the settlement argued that it still doesn’t go far enough. They insist that many athletes are losing opportunities and are prepared to fight for further changes. In the latest filings, objector lawyers expressed intentions to submit additional arguments defending their position.
Judge Wilken indicated she is leaning towards approving the rest of the settlement, which includes a substantial $2.8 billion damages package for current and former athletes over the next decade. This deal also opens the door for Division I schools to start directly compensating athletes for the use of their name, image, and likeness (NIL), though it comes with specific caps that will gradually increase.
After further discussions expected to take place, all involved parties will have until May 16 to submit their responses and any proposed changes. This ongoing situation highlights the complexities involved in NCAA regulations and the ever-evolving landscape of collegiate athletics.
