Let chaos begin: NCAA NIL reform starts after historic settlement verdict
When the virtual gavel officially struck on the night of June 7, the college football landscape underwent a historic shift that was heard around the world.
Approval of the NCAA's settlement, which includes three antitrust cases, sent shockwaves throughout fan bases, media circles, and universities. Thousands of former athletes who played from 2016 to 2024 are set to earn $2.8 billion in back pay for missed name, image, and likeness opportunities. The settlement also sets a new precedent, allowing current and future athletes to legally receive compensation directly from their universities, including the Texas A&M Aggies.
While a five-year legal battle comes to a close, the ruling leaves more questions than answers about the future of collegiate athletics. Yahoo Sports college football writer Ross Dellenger has provided extensive coverage and continues to post updates as the NCAA constructs new policies in response to the settlement.
One of those new establishments set by the NCAA was announced in a large document Q&A release:
The acceptance of the settlement has opened up a whole new world for college athletics, as the new NIL Go clearinghouse began operating on June 14. The purpose of the proposed platform is to establish a system for compensation while preventing potential booster payments.
NIL deals would run through the software and provide athletes with direct compensation, eliminating the need to worry about potential conflicts that could undermine the NCAA's established precedents.
Here is more from Dellenger on the clearinghouse and what it will do for athletes and universities moving forward:
The new algorithm was produced and built by Deloitte, an accounting firm and digital platform established in 1845. However, the legality of the systems remains in question. One of the remaining conflicts in the proposed system is the figuration of subpoena powers and how the NCAA and the courts would use them. According to Dellenger's expansive deep dive into the systems, Deloitte reported some impressive statistics in the company's presentation that could benefit the NCAA in preventing potential booster pay.
"For example, Deloitte officials claim that 70% of past deals from booster collectives would have been denied in their algorithms, while 90% of past deals from public companies would have been approved," Dellenger said. "Deloitte has also shared with officials that about 80% of NIL deals with public companies were valued at less than $10,000 and 99% of those deals valued at less than $100,000."
The biggest complaint that most have presented in discussions of regulations and the future of college athletics is the overhaul of the transfer portal. Since the NCAA depleted the limit set on the number of times an athlete can transfer in 2024, the portal has seen record activity as players seek new opportunities. Some of those players were transferring during NCAA postseason play, which was addressed by Texas Rep. Marc Veasely, according to Dellenger.
As a result of the ruling, the future of collegiate athletics remains unclear. The direction of regulations and finalizations in potential NCAA legalities requires fixing, or else the transfer portal will continue to run rampant, and college athletics will slowly fade into a professional-football-esque look.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.
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