Federal judge OKs $2.8B settlement, allowing U.S. colleges to pay athletes millions annually.

Federal Judge Claudia Wilken has approved a $2.8 billion settlement allowing US colleges to pay their athletes millions of dollars. This marks a significant shift in college sports, ending the long-standing amateur model. Each school can share up to $20.5 million with athletes yearly and pay $2.7 billion to former players over the next decade. The agreement, named after plaintiff Grant House, transfers oversight to major conferences like the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC and impacts nearly 1,100 NCAA schools with almost 500,000 athletes.