01-05-2025
US judge approves NCAA baseball coaches' $49 million settlement
May 1 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge has granted preliminary approval to the National Collegiate Athletic Association's $49.3 million settlement with volunteer baseball coaches who said they were owed compensation for years of unpaid work.
In a ruling, opens new tab on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge William Shubb in Sacramento called the settlement amount a 'strong result for the class.'
The settlement will benefit hundreds of baseball coaches who were volunteers at Division I schools — the top tier for college athletics — from 2018 to 2023. They alleged in their lawsuit, filed in 2022, that the NCAA violated federal antitrust law by fixing their compensation at zero.
Members of the class will be paid based on a model that takes into account their school and the number of years worked. The NCAA has since repealed its volunteer coach rule effective July 2023.
Garrett Broshuis, a lawyer for the coaches, welcomed the court's order and said they "look forward to taking the next step towards providing important and meaningful relief to the class.'
The NCAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It denied any wrongdoing in agreeing to settle.
Shubb is presiding over a related lawsuit from other volunteer coaches for sports such as soccer, swimming and track and field.
The NCAA separately faces many lawsuits from current and former student athletes seeking compensation for the commercial use of their names, images and likenesses.
A federal judge in Oakland is weighing final approval for a multibillion-dollar settlement that would allow schools for the first time to directly pay their athletes.
In the baseball coaches' case, the plaintiffs' lawyers said they had invested, opens new tab more than 7,400 hours into the litigation so far and would seek up to 33.3% — about $16.4 million — from the settlement fund for legal fees.
Shubb set a final fairness hearing for Sept. 15.
The case is Smart et al v. NCAA, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, No. 2:22-cv-02125-WBS-KJN.
For plaintiffs: Stephen Tillery, Steven Berezney and Garrett Broshuis of Korein Tillery
For NCAA: Carolyn Hoecker Luedtke and Justin Raphael of Munger, Tolles & Olson
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