SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The NCAA and major college conferences are considering a possible settlement of an antitrust lawsuit that could cost them billions in damages and force schools to share athletics-related revenue with their athletes. There is quiet acknowledgement among many college sports administrators that a settlement of House is the best course of action. In a previous filing, attorneys for the NCAA and the conferences contend damages in House will be $1.4 billion, though in successful antitrust cases damages are tripled. More recently the emphasis from NCAA President Charlie Baker and others has shifted to trying to prevent college athletes from being deemed employees. Some type of revenue-sharing agreement or substantially increased payments to college athletes on top of scholarships seems inevitable.
