The NCAA along with the leaders of the major conferences is taking a risk that their recent filing will achieve the desired outcome.

House vs. NCAA settlement

case.

The document, submitted to the courthouse,

U.S. District Judge

Earlier this week, Claudia J. Wilken aims to tackle her worries regarding the possible harm inflicted upon athletes who will be let go because of the team size restrictions established as part of the lawsuit.

Wilken has informed lawyers from both parties that the acceptance of the case might depend on whether the

NCAA

And the power conferences tackle this issue to her satisfaction.

What Does the NCAA Plan for Exempting Current Student-Athletes?

The brief outlines what

NCAA

And the power conference attorneys have agreed upon this framework to address Wilken’s concerns.

Per

On3 Sports

And according to other sources, the plan would permit schools choosing to participate in revenue sharing to gradually implement roster size restrictions. Additionally, it proposes making athletes whose spots were eliminated eligible for reinstatement, though this decision would ultimately rest with the school. Should an affected athlete not remain at their original institution, they could maintain their grandfathered status when transferring to another school.

The NCAA worked with the plaintiff’s attorney, Jeffrey Kessler, to create the new language. Kessler said that the athletes in question would carry those exemptions their entire career. This would include athletes who have already been cut and prep athletes who were set to receive roster spots in 2025-26 but had them withdrawn due to the new roster limits.

They also would not count against the roster limits set to be imposed in the House settlement.

If approved, this would represent a major compromise for athletes who, in certain instances, have already faced rejection. Each institution choosing to participate is addressing this concern. Clemson serves as an illustrative case. According to Athletic Director Graham Neff, the athletics program was allocated 275 scholarships across all NCAA sports for the period of 2024-25. Under the proposed agreement, the Tigers could increase their scholarship funding to 425 slots.

But the Tigers had 590 total athletes in 2024-25. In some cases, they’ve already told those athletes their spot is gone.

This compromise would give those athletes some recourse. But schools are not required to take them back. One, Notre Dame, has already vowed that they will take all released athletes back if they want to come back.

The lack of a requirement may give Wilken pause. The fact that Kessler was involved in negotiating the compromise may be enough for her to give the settlement final approval.

However, this is definitely an improvement over the NCAA’s initial suggestion, which was to take no action for the athletes who had their scholarships revoked due to the settlement.

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Will NCAA Proposal to Grandfathering Athletes Help Approve House Settlement?

.