Overview

• Starting July 1, universities can directly compensate athletes for name, image and likeness under a settlement that caps each school’s annual payments at $20.5 million.
• Eight former female athletes filed a Title IX appeal in the Ninth Circuit on June 11, arguing that the backpay model disproportionately benefits football and men’s basketball players.
• The appeal may force tens of thousands of former athletes’ damage payments and related legal fees into escrow until the courts resolve the challenge, while current athlete payments to begin July remain on schedule.
• The settlement creates a College Sports Commission and requires Deloitte’s NIL GO clearinghouse to vet any endorsement deal of $600 or more for fair-market-value compliance.
• NCAA President Charlie Baker has urged Congress to enact a national NIL framework to stabilize rules, protect schools from further lawsuits and ensure consistent oversight.