• Loading stock data...
Friday, August 29, 2025
The biggest names in sports media. All in one room. Get your ticket now!

Trio of Athlete Objections Filed Against House v. NCAA Settlement Proposal

  • Objectors range from women’s rowers to power conference football players.
  • It’s unclear how successful they’ll be in altering the settlement.
Nov 17, 2023; Charlottesville, VA, USA; The NCAA logo on a banner at the NCAA cross country championships course at Panorama Farms.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The first athlete objections to the House v. NCAA proposal have been filed, less than a month after the 300-page document—that would pave the way for revenue-sharing—was submitted to the court. A trio of objections argued a wide range of grievances, from gender equity to antitrust issues. 

House v. NCAA, first filed in 2020, argues that athletes deserve damages for losing out on NIL (name, image, and likeness) opportunities before 2021, and that the definition of NIL should be expanded. It addresses a range of athlete compensation issues, allowing power conference schools to share up to $22 million with players, as well as pay $2.8 billion in damages in conjunction with the NCAA. But it also sets multiple restrictions, like a cap on revenue-sharing and an approval process for NIL deals of more than $600. The NCAA has said it hopes Congress will codify an approved settlement, as well as protect the NCAA from having to make any future reforms. 

So far, no athletes have objected to the general concepts of back-damages and revenue-sharing, but have taken issue with many of the specifics. 

Lawyers representing Ivy League athletes Grace Kirk and Tamenang Choh filed the first objection Thursday afternoon with a narrow grievance. Choh and Kirk’s lawyers argue that the settlement in the House case includes language that would force them to relinquish their claims against Ivy League schools in a separate ongoing lawsuit if they want to be members of the House plaintiff class. The two athletes, along with a proposed plaintiff class, are suing Ivy League schools for refusing to offer athletic scholarships.

On Friday, lawyers representing plaintiffs in Fontenot v. NCAA, an antitrust case over the NCAA’s general compensation limits, and Cornelio v. NCAA, a lawsuit filed last week over partial scholarships, objected to the House damage claims and the revenue-sharing proposal. The lawyers argued that the settlement doesn’t consider damages related to their lawsuits, which could far exceed the $2.8 billion allotted as damages in the House settlement. They also argue it includes unfair restrictions. They believe that because so many different groups of athletes could be part of the settlement, they should receive their own representation.

Their remedy: Either appoint the Fontenot lawyers to represent certain athletes in the settlement negotiations, or “carve out” these claims from the settlement altogether. “The parties used this NIL case to try to write a collective bargaining agreement, but without any of labor law’s protections,” the lawyers wrote. “Indeed, the current settlement allows the NCAA to check multiple items off its litigation wish list, while creating a byzantine system to insulate it from future lawsuits.”

Also on Friday, lawyers for six current and former Division I female rowers from Yale, George Washington, Texas, and Oregon State filed the third objection to the settlement on the grounds it gives female athletes “the short end of the stick.”

It suggests the damages—based mostly on potential NIL earnings—severely undervalue women’s sports athletes. Of the $2.8 billion, “a male football player may receive hundreds of thousands of dollars, while a female swimmer might receive $125 or less,” the objection estimated. It laments the fact there are no damages for lost scholarships, arguing women’s sports athletes have been disproportionately affected by the NCAA’s scholarship limits.

Like the Fontenot and Cornelio athletes, the six rowers also argue the cap on revenue-sharing and NIL payment restrictions violate antitrust law. The rowers even suggest the settlement is an attempt to prevent athletes from being deemed employees (though plaintiff lawyers and the NCAA/power conferences have noted the settlement doesn’t directly address the employment question).

It’s unclear how much merit district court judge Claudia Wilken will give these claims. Given the timeline she’s approved, Wilken has signaled she’s at least interested in hearing out the athletes’ grievances, Boise State law professor Sam Ehrlich noted. (She has already denied a request to object by Houston Christian University, a D-I school in the Southland Conference. But the school’s burden to enter an objection is higher than athletes’ because it’s not a plaintiff or defendant, according to Ehrlich.)

There could be more athlete objections at later stages in the proceedings. A hearing for preliminary approval will take place Sept. 5. Then, starting in October, athletes will start to receive formal notices. Beginning Jan. 14, 2025, there will be a 105-day period in which athletes would object to the settlement before Judge Wilken considers the settlement for final approval.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Dallas Wings

WNBA Teams Desperate to Expand Rosters Amid ‘Extreme Hardship’ 

The Wings are scrambling to field eight players Friday night.
Jason Kelce
exclusive

YouTube Approached Jason Kelce for Chiefs Game, ESPN Said No

ESPN continues to enforce its policy of not lending talents to streamers.

Cody Campbell Asks Congress to Allow National College Sports TV Package

The billionaire’s ad will air on ESPN and Fox this weekend.

Who Are the Richest MLB Owners?

MLB owners are among the wealthiest people in the U.S.

Featured Today

‘You’re Going to Get Beat Up’: The Liberty’s All-Male Practice Squad

A select group suits up weekly to take on the defending champs.
August 24, 2025

The Honey Deuce Effect: How Tennis Perfected the Signature Cocktail

Sold every 1.5 seconds, they total more than $12 million in sales.
Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up as the Texas Longhorns prepare to play the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the College Football Playoffs at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.
August 23, 2025

Schools Are Hesitant to Allow PE Into Their Athletic Departments

Regardless of budget, schools don’t believe the risk is worth the reward.
Oct 2, 2024; Rosemont, IL, USA; Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti speaks with the media during the 2024 Big Ten Women’s Basketball media day at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.
August 22, 2025

‘Not Ready to Jump In’: Power 4 Commissioners Aren’t Sold on PE

Top leaders in college sports have yet to see a satisfactory proposal.
Ohio State mascot Brutus interacts with Lee Corso on the set of ESPN College GameDay prior to the College Football Playoff first round game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Tennessee Volunteers in Columbus on Dec. 21, 2024.

End of an Era: Lee Corso Making Final ‘College GameDay’ Appearance

After 430 iconic headgear picks, the iconic coach bids farewell.
August 27, 2025

Fox, YouTube TV Avoid Blackout With Short-Term Deal

The upcoming Texas–Ohio State clash will remain available to subscribers.
Apr 19, 2025; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders during the spring game at Folsom Field.
August 28, 2025

Coach Prime Enters Year 3 at Colorado With New Challenges

The Buffaloes have sold out their season tickets yet again.
Sponsored

Gareth Bale on MLS vs EPL, Retirement & Buying Cardiff City

Gareth Bale shares his post-soccer business playbook.
August 27, 2025

College Football Players Projected to Earn $1.9B This Year, Nearly Double 2024

The spike comes in the first season of revenue-sharing.
Oregon State Beavers quarterback Gevani McCoy (4) scrambles out of the pocket during an NCAA football game against UNLV at Reser Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Corvallis, Ore.
August 27, 2025

Pac-12 Strikes New Football, Basketball Deal With The CW

The latest step in its resurrection after being picked apart in 2023.
Oct 17, 2015; Evanston, IL, USA; A general view of the Northwestern Wildcats logo at midfield before the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Ryan Field.
August 25, 2025

Northwestern AD Singles Out Volleyball As Sport to Invest In

Northwestern athletic director Mark Jackson spoke to Front Office Sports.
Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) is tackled by Clemson Tigers defensive tackle Payton Page (55) during the second half of the CFP National playoff first round at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
August 25, 2025

As College Football Season Kicks Off, NIL Deal Approval Process Still Lags

Many deals are stuck in “purgatory,” one power conference collective operator says.