Judge approves NCAA settlement, providing massive changes to college sports
Lucas Geisler
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) –
A federal judge in California approved a settlement in a lawsuit against the NCAA on Friday, paving the way for major changes in the way college sports operate.
Judge Claudia Wilken approved the settlement between the college sports governing body and current and former student-athletes. The athletes sued over claims the NCAA illegally limited their ability to earn money while playing sports in college. The settlement order allows for the 389,700 athletes to collect a portion of the $2.8 billion settlement as back damages.
The settlement now requires schools starting July 1 to share revenue directly with student-athletes, as opposed to the current name, image and likeness model schools currently use. It creates a $20.5 million cap for schools to use when paying players in the upcoming school year. Schools can use the money across sports however they’d like.
University of Missouri Athletic Director Laird Veatch said in April that most of that money would go toward football and men’s basketball. Veatch said the school was also committing $3 million for 60 new scholarships, with most of them going to women’s sports.
The Southeastern Conference posted on X that the agreement “represents a significant milestone for the meaningful support of our student-athletes and a pivotal step toward establishing long-term sustainability for college sports, two of the [SEC]’s top priorities.”
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) June 7, 2025
MU Athletics spokesman Dave Matter told ABC 17 News that the school was waiting on guidance from the Southeastern Conference on public statements.
Veatch and MU Athletics have been publicly telling fans and boosters for months about the financial impact the settlement would have on the program. Veatch mentioned that ticket prices would likely go up and season-ticket holder tiers and benefits would also change.