Buffs Nation,
United States District Court Judge Claudia Wilken recently approved the In re College Athlete NIL Litigation (commonly referred to as “The House Case” antitrust settlement), which will forever alter college sports. While the changes may seem drastic and sudden to those just learning about the settlement, we’ve been preparing for this eventuality for nearly a year and I believe we’ve positioned CU Athletics to be successful in this new era of college athletics. That said, we will also be more reliant on your support than ever before.
For CU, the settlement impacts us, moving forward, in three major areas:
Revenue Sharing
For the first time, the Settlement, and subsequent NCAA rule changes, allows athletic departments to directly compensate student-athletes for their Name, Image, and Likeness (“NIL”) rights up to $20.5 million per institution each year. Each CU sport program will have a revenue-share budget that is proportional to the revenue that sport generates, but all of our student-athletes will be able to participate in revenue-sharing to some degree if they choose. Each student-athlete will be given the opportunity to enter into a licensing agreement with CU Athletics. While athletic departments are not required to compensate student-athletes up to the cap, in order to remain competitive, it is our intention to fully meet the $20.5 million responsibility.
Third-Party NIL
In addition to compensation provided directly by athletic departments, the Settlement allows student-athletes to continue to enter into third-party NIL agreements with businesses, who can use student-athletes to enhance their brands. A new national clearinghouse has been created to review third party NIL agreements to evaluate the range of compensation and validity of the business purpose.
I look forward to sharing more about the innovative initiatives we’re working on, but in the meantime, businesses can still directly support our student-athletes and that is crucial for the long-term success of our programs. If you own a business or are a decision maker in your company, we need your support in engaging in third-party NIL agreements with our student-athletes.
Roster Limits
The settlement has also replaced scholarship limits with roster limits, which has guided us in updating roster sizes for all of our sports. Our approach is to be open minded while fulfilling our responsibilities as outlined by the settlement and mandated by Title IX. The NCAA is permitting departments to potentially grandfather roster spots that had been removed, something CU will explore on a case-by-case basis.
There is no doubt this settlement will create challenges for our department and our student-athletes, but I know we’re prepared to meet these challenges head-on and to continue to provide a world-class experience for every Buff. If you want to join us, I’d encourage you to give to the Buff Club or if you have a business, reach out to our NIL department to explore ways in which CU student-athletes can enhance your brand, including registering with the Buffs NIL Exchange. For more information on the House settlement and how it impacts CU, we’ve also created an FAQ page .
Together, we are truly Buffs United!
Go Buffs!
Rick
United States District Court Judge Claudia Wilken recently approved the In re College Athlete NIL Litigation (commonly referred to as “The House Case” antitrust settlement), which will forever alter college sports. While the changes may seem drastic and sudden to those just learning about the settlement, we’ve been preparing for this eventuality for nearly a year and I believe we’ve positioned CU Athletics to be successful in this new era of college athletics. That said, we will also be more reliant on your support than ever before.
For CU, the settlement impacts us, moving forward, in three major areas:
Revenue Sharing
For the first time, the Settlement, and subsequent NCAA rule changes, allows athletic departments to directly compensate student-athletes for their Name, Image, and Likeness (“NIL”) rights up to $20.5 million per institution each year. Each CU sport program will have a revenue-share budget that is proportional to the revenue that sport generates, but all of our student-athletes will be able to participate in revenue-sharing to some degree if they choose. Each student-athlete will be given the opportunity to enter into a licensing agreement with CU Athletics. While athletic departments are not required to compensate student-athletes up to the cap, in order to remain competitive, it is our intention to fully meet the $20.5 million responsibility.
Third-Party NIL
In addition to compensation provided directly by athletic departments, the Settlement allows student-athletes to continue to enter into third-party NIL agreements with businesses, who can use student-athletes to enhance their brands. A new national clearinghouse has been created to review third party NIL agreements to evaluate the range of compensation and validity of the business purpose.
I look forward to sharing more about the innovative initiatives we’re working on, but in the meantime, businesses can still directly support our student-athletes and that is crucial for the long-term success of our programs. If you own a business or are a decision maker in your company, we need your support in engaging in third-party NIL agreements with our student-athletes.
Roster Limits
The settlement has also replaced scholarship limits with roster limits, which has guided us in updating roster sizes for all of our sports. Our approach is to be open minded while fulfilling our responsibilities as outlined by the settlement and mandated by Title IX. The NCAA is permitting departments to potentially grandfather roster spots that had been removed, something CU will explore on a case-by-case basis.
There is no doubt this settlement will create challenges for our department and our student-athletes, but I know we’re prepared to meet these challenges head-on and to continue to provide a world-class experience for every Buff. If you want to join us, I’d encourage you to give to the Buff Club or if you have a business, reach out to our NIL department to explore ways in which CU student-athletes can enhance your brand, including registering with the Buffs NIL Exchange. For more information on the House settlement and how it impacts CU, we’ve also created an FAQ page .
Together, we are truly Buffs United!
Go Buffs!
Rick
