WASHINGTON — While a federal judge considers whether to approve a massive NCAA settlement that would pay athletes more than $2 billion and pave the way for even more spending, a large group of industry officials returned to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to lobby lawmakers on legislation to land some antitrust protection for some of the final vestiges of college athletics’ amateurism model.
Commissioners of the four most powerful conferences in NCAA Division I — the Atlantic Coast, Big 12, Big Ten and Southeastern — dozens of athletic directors from those leagues, and even some coaches and players spent hours meeting with members of Congress.
There was no firm conclusion to the talks, but multiple stakeholders involved came out of them with positive takeaways.
“We had great dialogue throughout the day, so I’m very optimistic we can get there,” Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said. “The common denominator on the Hill is that everyone has a great passion for collegiate athletics. They want to see something that’s sustainable moving forward.”
A federal judge held a final hearing Monday on the settlement of a $2.8 billion class-action antitrust lawsuit filed by athletes against the NCAA and its largest conferences. It was approved by the defendants and plaintiffs in May 2024. U.S. Judge Claudia Wilken must give full approval before the terms can go into effect as soon as July 1.