
The deadline for D-I student-athletes to get their piece of the $2.8 billion house settlement pie is today. The NCAA is finalizing its massive antitrust settlement for NIL, and student-athletes who competed between 2016 – 2024 are eligible for payment.
To apply, current and former student-athletes can log into a third-party site, Verita’s collegeathletecompensation.com, and use their NCAA Eligibility ID number to file a claim. Power 5 conference student-athletes who received a full scholarship need only to enter their contact information and preferred payment method. All other D-I student-athletes complete and submit a full claim form.
According to Front Office Sports, “more than 40,000 claims have already been filed in the case.”
Current and former student-athletes who apply for payment will receive an answer on April 7, 2025, the date of the Final Approval Hearing by the court.
According to Fox59 Indianapolis, if the court approves the settlement, “The money will be distributed over a 10-year period.”
While many former student-athletes are excited by the chance to receive financial compensation for NIL deals they couldn’t strike previously, there are some still expressing concern over the settlement. “Several groups of women’s sports athletes have challenged the settlement, pointing out gender inequities in the damages and revenue-sharing.”
These female athletes point out that the highest revenue-earning sports like football and men’s basketball will earn disproportionately more in the settlement than women’s teams and non-revenue generating sports.
Plaintiff attorney Jeffery Kessler told Front Office Sports that the female athlete’s concerns should be acknowledged, but at the end of the day, “this is an antitrust case—it cannot resolve the gender equity issues.”
“This is a class of hundreds of thousands of athletes. There are always going to be a tiny percentage of objectors. But the court’s task is to decide: Is this in the overall best interest of the class?” said Kessler.