NCAA president: 'A lot of work to be done' on potential settlement of multibillion-dollar antitrust lawsuit

Charlie Baker said settling the House v. NCAA lawsuit could soothe a number of issues as college athletics faces a new future

By John Talty  & Dennis Dodd May 13, 2024 at 8:19 pm ET• 3 min read

Amelia Island, Fla. -- NCAA president Charlie Baker said there was "still a lot of work to be done" on a potential multibillion-dollar settlement of an antitrust lawsuit that could have a major impact on the future of college athletics.

Amid multiple reports Monday that the NCAA and Power Four conferences were working to settle the NCAA v. House lawsuit that could cost nearly $2.9 billion and would likely come with a revenue-share model, Baker addressed a collection of Atlantic Coast Conference coaches and administrators at the conference's annual spring meetings. Baker said afterward that settling the lawsuit could soothe a number of issues and allow for a different conversation on Capitol Hill as college administrators continue to seek an antitrust exemption.

"The most important part about the settlement -- and let's face it there's still a lot of work to be done there -- the most important part about it is to create some clarity and some sort of visibility on a whole bunch of issues that have been roiling everybody for awhile," Baker said. "The other thing is it creates predictability and stability for schools. It also creates tremendous opportunities for student-athletes especially at the schools that are most heavily resourced."

It creates a framework that makes it possible to have a different kind of conversation with Congress. In many ways, I'm hopeful."