Jessica Yellin Instagram – NCAA SETTLES; HUGE WIN FOR STUDENT ATHLETE COMPENSATION The NCAA and 5 large athletic conferences reached a landmark $2.8 Billion dollar settlement of a class-action lawsuit, creating a seismic shift in the world of college sports. Under the settlement terms, schools will be allowed to pay some student athletes directly for the first time. Division I schools will be able to distribute roughly $20 million/year among their athletes. This money is about 22% of the annual athletics department revenue of schools in major athletic conferences. The NCAA, ACC, Big Ten, PAC-12, Big 12, and SEC all agreed to the settlement that will also compensate former student athletes for billions in damages over a 10-year period. The deal still has more steps to go through and isn’t expected to take effect until the 2025-26 academic year at the earliest. What do you think of this settlement? How should schools determine which athletes to pay and how much to pay them? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.