Scott Stricklin backs House v. NCAA ruling: 'Important step forward for college athletics'

USA Today

4 hours ago

Scott Stricklin backs House v. NCAA ruling: 'Important step forward for college athletics'
Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin expressed full support for the future of athlete compensation following the final approval of the House v. NCAA settlement, calling it a "new beginning" for college athletics.
Stricklin released a statement Saturday, one day after U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken approved the landmark antitrust settlement allowing schools to directly share revenue with student-athletes starting July 1.
"The University of Florida Athletic Association welcomes the recent court ruling allowing schools to directly share revenue with student-athletes," Stricklin said. "This decision marks an important step forward for college athletics, and we remain committed to supporting Gator athletes on and off the field."
Stricklin went on to say, "Beyond financial opportunities, the UAA will continue to provide world-class training, academic support, and career development to help our Gators succeed during their time at UF and well beyond."
The ruling paves the way for Power Four programs to distribute as much as $20.5 million annually in revenue sharing, with most schools expected to follow a recommended formula: 75 percent to football players, 15 percent to men's basketball, 5 percent to women's basketball and 5 percent to other sports.
Florida has yet to reveal its distribution strategy.
The settlement also includes nearly $2.8 billion in backpay to athletes who competed between 2016 and 2025 and missed out on name, image and likeness (NIL) earnings under prior NCAA restrictions.
NCAA president Charlie Baker, in a letter to stakeholders, called the ruling a chance to bring stability to a system that's long lacked clarity and cohesion.
"Approving the agreement reached by the NCAA, the defendant conferences and student-athletes in the settlement opens a pathway to begin stabilizing college sports," Baker wrote. "This new framework that enables schools to provide direct financial benefits to student-athletes and establishes clear and specific rules to regulate third-party NIL agreements marks a huge step forward for college sports."
Baker acknowledged the scale of the change, which will shift enforcement of many compensation rules from the NCAA to the conferences named in the settlement.
He also warned that the system remains vulnerable without federal legislation, particularly as efforts continue to classify student-athletes as employees and as states compete with conflicting NIL laws.
"Significant challenges remain," Baker wrote. "Only Congress can address these issues."
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.