The four biggest conferences in college sports are working to tie their schools to the pending $2.8 billion NCAA antitrust settlement and could have drastic penalties for anyone refusing to comply.
Officials from the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Big Ten, the Big 12 and the Southeastern Conference have drafted a document intended to prevent their members from using state laws to breach or subvert enforcement that would come with the settlement, according to a person familiar with the pending contract. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of ongoing negotiations.
Yahoo Sports first reported details of the document, which is viewed as a way of providing stability around the enforcement of new rules.
The settlement itself is before U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken, who has given preliminary approval but asked both sides to come up with a way to address details around roster limits that many schools are already putting in motion. Her final decision could come at any time.
The document would bind institutions to enforcement policies even if their state laws are contradictory, the person said. It would require schools to waive their right to pursue legal challenges against the new enforcement entity, the College Sports Commission.
The document would exempt the commission from lawsuits from member schools over enforcement decisions, instead offering arbitration as the main settlement option.
The document is still being refined, but a working copy has been distributed to school presidents, general counsels and athletic directors, the person said. Legal concerns remain, though, especially for public institutions that would essentially be agreeing not to follow state laws.
Consequences for not signing the agreement would include risking the loss of league membership and participation against other teams from the Power Four conferences.
A finalized version of the document could be signed once the House settlement is granted approval by a federal judge.
The settlement — a $2.8 billion agreement by the NCAA and power conferences to settle antitrust lawsuits over athlete compensation — would rewrite the college sports rulebook and usher in a professionalized model that allows schools to share millions in revenue with athletes in a capped system that features a new enforcement arm to police booster deals.
The settlement’s revenue-sharing concept could begin as early as July 1.
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AP Sports Writers Mark Long, Larry Lage, John Raby and Jim Vertuno contributed.
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