Anyone with even a minor interest in college athletics is aware of the House vs. NCAA lawsuit. It’s everywhere you turn – and with good reason. The House settlement stands to fundamentally change the landscape of college sports. It will also redefine the student-athlete experience, though just for those who are lucky enough to still be on the roster.
What’s the big deal about the House settlement? Simply put, it will require the NCAA and DI institutions to pay student-athletes who competed between 2016 and 2024 and missed out on the opportunity to make money through NIL. House includes three antitrust lawsuits and the amount is staggering — $2.8 billion. The settlement will also dictate how athletes can be paid by institutions going forward.
While it has been anticipated that a final ruling would be issued any day, yesterday Judge Claudia Wilken delayed the ruling due to the NCAA’s proposed implementation of new roster sizes. Because the new roster limits would begin immediately upon settlement approval, many current student-athletes would find themselves without a team.
The judge’s concerns are valid. Many student-athletes have already been cut from teams and others have had their offers rescinded in anticipation of the settlement approval.
This delay gives attorneys 14 days to add a “grandfathering” clause to the settlement’s roster limit language, protecting the roster spots of current athletes. While I think this is the right thing to do, it is only a temporary fix. The long-term effect of reduced roster sizes will remain the same. And it has major implications for the NAIA, DII, and DIII.
Stay tuned for Part II.
Each year, Return on Athletics® (ROA) captures data from across the organization to track what’s trending across NAIA athletics and how those trends can be used by institutions to make decisions. From emerging sports to the amount of financial aid awarded, sports expenses, and net return, these trends are the benchmarks NAIA institutions can use […]
Tuva Hammarlund chose a university she had never visited. Josiah Winans returned to football after two season-ending injuries, unsure whether anyone would see beyond his visual impairment. Henry Ngang arrived on campus five days after ACL surgery, wearing a brace, walking on crutches and wondering what his future would hold. Not exactly the easiest first-day-of-college […]
Return on Athletics® (ROA) is a free NAIA member resource that helps institutions make more informed, data-driven decisions about their athletics programs. By bringing together institution-, sport-, and student-level data, ROA provides insights into enrollment, retention, financial aid, and athletics finances, enabling campus leaders to evaluate performance, identify opportunities, and strengthen long-term financial sustainability. How […]
FROM THE PRESIDENT The Protect College Sports Act (PCSA) was introduced in May 2026 to establish guardrails for Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights, transfers, and media rights. With the SCORE Act stalled in the House, the PCSA is currently the leading bill on collegiate athletics reform. While the focus of this bill is primarily on NCAA […]