⚖️ Biggest NCAA court losses ranked: House settlement tops $2.75B
O'Bannon, Alston, House: the NCAA lost or settled each. Final court approval of the House deal is not confirmed here. ⏳
By MrMuscles, sports desk · Desk editor Gustavs Ērkšķis-Kreicbergs · · 4 min read
RANKEDPhoto: Momoneymoproblemz · CC BY-SA 4.0What we know
- The NCAA and its five power conferences voted May 23, 2024 to approve a settlement of three antitrust suits, including more than $2.75 billion from the NCAA to former Division I athletes, per The Athletic.
- The back-pay covers lost name, image and likeness earnings dating to 2016 and would be paid over 10 years, per The Athletic.
- In O'Bannon, Judge Claudia Wilken ruled on Aug. 8, 2014 that NCAA rules barring payments to athletes violated antitrust law; the NCAA was later ordered to pay $40,794,245.89 in attorneys' fees and $1,540,195.58 in costs.
- The Supreme Court ruled 9-0 on June 21, 2021 in NCAA v. Alston that the NCAA cannot limit education-related benefits, per Reuters.
- Documents obtained by Yahoo Sports said a House loss at trial could have cost as much as $20 billion, per The Athletic.
Scoreboard first. The NCAA's biggest bill is a settlement, not a verdict: more than $2.75 billion to former Division I athletes, per the plaintiffs' law firms as reported by The Athletic. After that, the money on record falls to tens of millions, and the biggest court loss of all has no dollar figure attached.
House, O'Bannon and Alston all landed before Judge Claudia Wilken of the federal court in Northern California. The Athletic notes she is the judge who ruled against the NCAA in O'Bannon and Alston. Here is the ranking, by money on record.
| Rank | Case | Money on record | Who decided |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | House v. NCAA | More than $2.75 billion to former athletes, paid over 10 years | NCAA and five power conferences voted to settle, May 23, 2024 |
| 2 | O'Bannon v. NCAA | $40,794,245.89 in fees plus $1,540,195.58 in costs | Judge Wilken; Ninth Circuit affirmed the award, June 29, 2018 |
| 3 | O'Bannon video-game settlement | $40 million, paid by EA and the NCAA's licensing arm, not the NCAA | Settlement filed May 2014 |
| 4 | NCAA v. Alston | No dollar figure in the documents read | Supreme Court, 9-0, June 21, 2021 |
The ranking
House v. NCAA: more than $2.75 billion
The NCAA and its five power conferences voted May 23, 2024 to approve settlement terms in three antitrust suits: House, Hubbard and Carter. The plaintiffs' law firms say the deal includes more than $2.75 billion from the NCAA to former Division I athletes as back-pay for lost name, image and likeness earnings dating to 2016, paid over 10 years, per The Athletic. A loss at trial could have cost as much as $20 billion, per documents obtained by Yahoo Sports. In a joint statement, NCAA President Charlie Baker and the conference commissioners called the deal "an important step in the continuing reform of college sports".
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)By the numbers
- 12 yrsfrom first to latest entry on record
- 8receipts behind this story
The House deal is not only a check. Per The Athletic, it also sets up an optional revenue-sharing model in which 22 percent of power-conference schools' average annual revenue, projected at more than $20 million per school, could go directly to athletes. It also ends NCAA scholarship caps, with roster limits expected to replace them.
O'Bannon v. NCAA: $40,794,245.89 in fees, $1,540,195.58 in costs
Judge Wilken ruled on Aug. 8, 2014 that the NCAA's rules barring payments to athletes for their names and images violated antitrust law, per The New York Times. NCAA chief legal officer Donald Remy said he disagreed with the ruling. After the Ninth Circuit appeals court affirmed in part and vacated in part, the district court awarded the plaintiffs $40,794,245.89 in attorneys' fees and $1,540,195.58 in costs. In a June 29, 2018 memorandum, the Ninth Circuit affirmed that award.
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)The O'Bannon video-game deal: $40 million, not the NCAA's money
Not the NCAA's check, but it came out of the same fight. Electronic Arts and the NCAA's licensing arm filed a $40 million settlement with players in May 2014, per ESPN, which could pay up to $4,000 to as many as 100,000 current and former athletes. The deal left the NCAA alone to defend itself at the O'Bannon trial. Plaintiffs' lawyers could take up to one-third, or $13.2 million, if the judge approved it.
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)NCAA v. Alston: no price tag, nine justices
Judge Wilken ruled against the NCAA's caps on education-related benefits in March 2019, per Sports Illustrated, and the Ninth Circuit upheld that in May 2020. The Supreme Court affirmed 9-0 on June 21, 2021, with Justice Neil Gorsuch writing that "the president of the NCAA earns nearly $4 million per year," per Reuters. The NCAA said in a statement that the decision "reaffirms the NCAA's authority to adopt reasonable rules," per CBS News. None of the documents read puts a dollar figure on the ruling itself.
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)"The NCAA is not above the law."
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, concurring opinion in NCAA v. Alston, quoted by CBS News, June 21, 2021
What is still moving
Another antitrust suit, Fontenot v. NCAA, was moving ahead in Colorado as of May 23, 2024, after the NCAA's bid to transfer it to the California court was denied, per The Athletic. How it ended is not in the documents read.
If you're keeping score at home, the record is lopsided: one enormous settlement, one fee award north of $40 million, and a unanimous Supreme Court loss that cost the NCAA its argument more than its money. MrMuscles keeps the board; what comes next is not on it yet.
Quick quiz · 3 questions
Earlier on file: RJ Godfrey sues Arizona regents over fifth-year eligibility
The National Collegiate Athletic Association file
- Reported
Georgia Court of Appeals granted the NCAA a stay of an injunction clearing Godfrey to play, per ESPN. RJ Godfrey sues Arizona regents over fifth-year eligibility
- Reported
NCAA Board of Governors and five power conferences voted to approve a settlement with more than $2.75 billion in payments, per The Athletic. This story
- Ruled
Supreme Court ruled 9-0 in NCAA v. Alston that NCAA limits on education-related benefits violate antitrust law, per Reuters. This story
- Ruled
Judge Wilken ruled NCAA caps on education-related benefits violated antitrust law in the Alston case, per Sports Illustrated. This story
- Ruled
Ninth Circuit affirmed an award of $40,794,245.89 in fees and $1,540,195.58 in costs against the NCAA in O'Bannon. This story
- Ruled
Judge Claudia Wilken ruled NCAA bans on paying athletes for names and images violated antitrust law in O'Bannon, per the New York Times. This story
- Filed
Players filed a $40 million settlement with EA Sports and the NCAA's licensing arm; the NCAA stayed a defendant in O'Bannon, per ESPN. This story
On file: The National Collegiate Athletic Association file
The Ledger
On the record
- The NCAA and its five power conferences voted May 23, 2024 to approve a settlement with more than $2.75 billion in payments, and courts ruled against the NCAA in O'Bannon and Alston.
Still rumour
- Final court approval and payout of the House settlement are not confirmed in the documents read, and neither are the eligibility suits now being filed.
That's the record. The rest is rumour. - MrMuscles
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