U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken on Friday night granted final approval to the settlement between the NCAA, power conferences and current and former D-I athletes represented by the House, Carter and Hubbard antitrust litigations.

The approval green-lights a new and more professionalized era in college sports starting in the 2025-26 academic year. Participating colleges will directly pay athletes a share of up to 22% of the average power conference athletic media, ticket and sponsorship revenue, with $20.5 million pegged as the initial annual cap. Those payments will be in addition to both athletic scholarships, which cover tuition, housing, health resources and other benefits, and NIL deals athletes sign with third parties.

To be clear, colleges are not obligated to participate in revenue-sharing, and those that participate are not obligated to pay the full $20.5 million. The Ivy League, which recently defeated an antitrust lawsuit over its no athletic scholarship policy, has opted out of the settlement and will thus continue to use longstanding amateurism rules for student athletes.

The settlement also contemplates a $2.8 billion damages payout over a 10-year period, though the damages portion could be delayed if the terms are appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The money will be paid to D-I athletes dating back about eight years and will reflect lost NIL, video-game and broadcasting opportunities on account of eligibility rules. 

The settlement will end scholarship limits, meaning colleges can offer a greater number of full (or partial) scholarships to their athletes. A previous version of the settlement contemplated roster limits that would have gone into effect immediately and, at some schools and for some sports, led to current athletes losing their spots. Wilken disapproved of roster limits taking away spots from current athletes, since those athletes couldn’t preserve their spot by opting out of the settlement. In response, attorneys for the NCAA and athletes modified the roster methodology so that, at a school’s discretion, current athletes and recruits can remain on rosters for the duration of their NCAA eligibility and not count against limits. Objectors protested, complaining the grandfathering provision doesn’t help athletes whose schools decline to protect. The NCAA and plaintiffs’ attorneys countered that roster spots have never been guaranteed in college sports. Wilken deemed the provision to be a sufficient fix.

Another new feature is that NIL deals with third parties that exceed $600 can face independent review. The review will ensure those deals are not substantively pay-for-play arrangements, which remain prohibited by NCAA rules. 

Wilken’s approval was expected. Although she criticized several features of the settlement, including roster limits and how future college players preserve litigation rights, Wilken was generally positive about the deal. 

The applicable standard and limited scope of review also made Wilken’s decision likely. Wilken only needed to find the deal is fair, reasonable and adequate to the settlement classes and that it adequately addresses the federal antitrust issues raised in the three cases. 

As Wilken repeatedly noted, the possibility that the settlement and its implementation might be challenged through lawsuits raising Title IX, state NIL statutes and federal and state employment and labor law claims fell outside her purview. It is all but certain that the revenue-sharing component will face Title IX lawsuits, given that participating schools are expected to share much more revenue with male athletes, particularly football players, than female athletes. As Sportico explained, whether Title IX ought to apply to payments that reflect NIL is an unresolved legal question that has competing arguments.

Likewise, litigation brought by class members who opted out, such as those in Hill v. NCAA, will proceed on their own tracks. The same is true of ongoing litigation (Johnson v. NCAA) over whether college athletes are employees and whether college athletes who seek NIL deals and now revenue share can remain eligible to play past current NCAA eligibility rules (Pavia v. NCAA and related cases). Congress and President Donald Trump could also consider legislation that alters the legal landscape of various college sports issues, and Trump is weighing an executive order on college athlete compensation that might spawn new legal challenges.

While the NCAA will continue to contend with a bevy of legal issues, Wilken’s ruling is a major victory for NCAA president Charlie Baker. The former Massachusetts governor has been open to reforms on athlete compensation and sought pragmatic changes. The settlement will help to stabilize the college sports landscape, at least at power conference schools. However, in the absence of athlete unionization and collective bargaining, NCAA rules will remain the target of antitrust litigators for years to come.

Speaking of those litigators, Wilken’s ruling is a win for them, too. Not only have Jeffrey Kessler, Steve Berman and their colleagues negotiated a deal that will pay billions of dollars to current and former college athletes, but they’re positioned to secure nearly $500 million in attorneys’ fees and reimbursements. 

As for Wilken, the 75-year-old judge and former law professor has played a historic role in reshaping the business and law of college sports. She presided over the lawsuits brought by Ed O’Bannon (NIL) and Shawne Alston (education-related financial awards) and has now approved a new economic system. It’s fair to say that had other judges presided over those cases, some of the tectonic changes at stake might not have occurred or been delayed for years. 

HELENA — Helena’s Russell Baker is one of the top male gymnasts in Montana, recently claiming a state championship in the still rings.

“Most of the time when I’m competing, I don’t really think,” said Baker, a sophomore at Capital High School. “I just kind of do because it’s muscle memory. And I’ve done so many routines over the past seven, eight years, that it’s just stuck. Like, I don’t really think.”

Baker joined gymnastics at the age of 9 and now practices four times a week for three hours at a time. Baker’s dedication is something his coach said should be celebrated.

“There’s a lot of guys that they will drop out in those middle school years just because there is that push/pull of all their peers that are doing football and basketball and those more high school-oriented sports,” said Casey Hammond, owner of Gym406 in Helena and Baker’s coach. “So, to see Russell persevere through those years and that time in his life, and now that he’s a sophomore in high school and he’s still showing up every day and putting in the work, that says a lot.”

Hammond said participation in boys gymnastics is lower in Montana than many other parts of the country. But Baker and his state championship serve as a shining example of what’s possible for young gymnasts interested in the sport if they work hard and stick with it.

“There’s a lot of boys that come into gymnastics and watch me do my thing and say, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re so cool. How do you do that?’ And I say, my number one answer is, ‘I’ve been doing this as long as you’ve been alive,'” said Baker. “I really enjoy watching the little boys look up to me. It feels good because I was at one point a younger guy looking up to the older guys.”

Hammond said having a gymnast like Baker as part of his program is essential.

“Because they do look up to him, and it kind of normalizes gymnastics,” said Hammond. “So, if they’re kind of anxious or nervous about learning something, but if they see Russell, like he does this every single day, it’s easier for them to reach those goals as well. It’s not as big and scary. … I don’t think he realizes how much that means to them. It’s huge, in their eyes, having someone like Russell in their world.”

Associated Press

DENVER (AP) — The gymnastics coach for a one-time Olympic alternate received a lifetime ban Thursday from the U.S. Center for SafeSport.

Qi Han, whose case dates to at least 2016 and who had been under a temporary sanction for the past two years, was listed as permanently ineligible, subject to appeal, on the center’s disciplinary database.

It said he was found to have committed emotional misconduct, physical misconduct and violated USA Gymnastics policies and bylaws.

Han, a former gymnast on the Chinese national team, and his wife, Yiwen Chen, opened Everest Gymnastics in the suburbs of Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2004. The gym quickly gained prominence within USA Gymnastics. In 2016, Han served as the coach to Olympic alternate Ashton Locklear.

Locklear told The New York Times in 2018 that Han physically and emotionally abused her and at one point threw a cell phone at her. Han denied the allegations.

Several other athletes who trained at Everest came forward over ensuing years, describing similar experiences with Han. As of Thursday night, Han was still listed as the co-owner and head coach at Everest.

In an email sent Friday, Han’s attorney said, “we are deeply disappointed by SafeSport’s recent decision.”

“The fact that this investigation took eight years highlights a process that failed to meet the standards of fairness and reliability required when a person’s life and livelihood are at stake,” attorney Missy Own wrote. “Coach Han has dedicated his career to building a highly successful business, earning the respect and admiration of his athletes, and serving as a valued member of our community.”

Details from Han’s accusers started coming out the year before the SafeSport Center opened in the wake of extensive abuse committed by former gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. The Times reported that USA Gymnastics handed Han’s case over to the center shortly after it opened in 2017.

The center’s interim CEO, April Holmes, portrayed the latest development as a sign the center is making sports safer.

“We know it is not easy to come forward, so we thank those who shared their stories and helped bring resolution to this case,” Holmes said. “This outcome sends a clear message that sport culture is changing and accountability is moving the needle.”

In explaining the lengthy amount of time it took to resolve the case, the center said in a statement that it involved more than 80 witnesses, thousands of pages of evidence and transcripts and allegations that span decades. The center said it stood by the fairness and thoroughness of the process but also “remains committed to increasing efficiencies in our process to help resolve cases more quickly.”

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AP National Writer Will Graves contributed to this report.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

OKLAHOMA CITY — NiJaree Canady scattered six hits and pitched her way out of a seventh-inning jam, and Texas Tech forced a decisive third game in the Women’s College World Series with a 4-3 victory over Texas in Game 2 on Thursday night.

The Game 3 showdown on Friday matches teams looking for their first national title.

Canady, who allowed a go-ahead, two-run single for Texas while trying to walk a member of the Longhorns in the sixth inning of an eventual 2-1 loss in the series opener on Wednesday, again went the distance for the Red Raiders. She has pitched every inning in the super regionals and World Series and carried a 4-1 lead to the seventh.

But Texas’ Katie Stewart reached on an error by the shortstop and Canady hit Victoria Hunter to put runners on first and second with no outs. Leighann Goode doubled to left center, scoring Stewart and moving Hunter to third. Pinch-hitter Katie Cimusz lined out to left field and Hunter scored to cut the deficit to 4-3.

But Canady got Ashton Mahoney to ground out and struck out Kayden Henry to end the game.

“Last night was a test for us, and we’re growing from everything that happens to us,” Texas Tech coach Gerry Glasco said. “I told them after the game last night we learn 10 times more when we lose than when we win. We learned so much last night, and I think the bottom of seventh, our fortitude and our determination and the way we reacted there at the end was a testament to the toughness they’re acquiring by playing these tough battles.”

Mac Morgan started for Texas and pitched two scoreless innings. Cambria Salmon entered and worked two scoreless before running into trouble in the fifth when Texas Tech loaded the bases with two outs. Salmon then hit Alana Johnson with a pitch to score Raegan Jennings from third and then thew a wild pitch that scored Mihya Davis, giving the Red Raiders a 2-0 lead.

The Longhorns answered in the sixth on a solo home run to left center to make it 2-1.

Texas Tech responded in their half of the sixth off Longhorns reliever Citlay Gutierrez. Demi Elder drew a walk, Victoria Valdez reached on a throwing error that allowed pinch runner Mikayla Garcia to advance to third base. Bailey Lindermuth greeted reliever Teagan Kavan with a sacrifice fly to score Garcia, and Davis reached on a fielding error that brought home Valdez.

“An exciting game. A tough finish to it,” Texas coach Mike White said. “Getting down against NiJa 4-1, we made a good fight to come back, but we got down with some uncharacteristic errors there and some missed plays that they took advantage of, some good base running and everything else.

“We’ve got to come back now and face NiJa again for sure, and we’re going to have to kind of work really hard to get some runs and then obviously shut them down as well.”

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was on hand to root for the Red Raiders. The Texas Tech alum has been a supporter of the team on social media throughout the season and even gifted team members sports gear, including varsity jackets and sneakers.

Mahomes and his wife, Brittany, were animated and seemingly in full “sports fan” mode throughout the game, watching from a box in the stands. He appeared to be as involved in the game as he was in all his Super Bowl appearances, standing, clapping, yelling and encouraging the Red Raiders, hanging on every pitch.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Livvy Dunne knows that she’s not what people typically think of when they imagine a world-famous athlete. 

The 22-year-old gymnast, whose legal name is Olivia Paige Dunne, grew a social media platform 8 million followers deep on TikTok — posting videos of her life, routine, and experiences as a gymnast at Louisiana State University. (In 2023, Dunne was featured on Rolling Stone’s Creator List). The athlete, who was recently a cover star for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, was part of the LSU gymnastic team that took home the 2024 Collegiate National Championship — the first in the school’s history. But her presence on the national stage continues to grow, even as she announced her retirement from the sport in April 2025. Now no longer on the uneven bars, Dunne tells Rolling Stone that she’s excited to see how she can spend her time post-college still advocating for women in sports. 

“I’ll always advocate for women’s sports — they’re so important,’ she says. “I have a fund at LSU called the Livvy Fund, and it’s to help provide NIL [name, image, likeness] deals for female student athletes. I’d like to expand that to other schools and keep helping women and educating them because it is harder for women to get NIL deals and to know what to do. Because there’s not a lot of knowledge or opportunity in that area. That’s so important to me.” 

In May, Dunne opened Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Runway Show during Miami, Florida’s Swim Week alongside athletes like Jordan Chiles and Ilona Maher. It was Dunne’s first runway show, and even though she was nervous, she decided to fully lean into the performance — dropping down into a split at the end of the runway. 

“I was so nervous that during rehearsal I walked down the wrong side of the runway,” Dunne says, laughing. “But whenever I get nervous, I just take a deep breath and smile, because that makes me feel my best. I actually had my Invisalign aligners in and then I went on the runway, had all the confidence in the world and dropped into a split. Because why not? Gymnastics will never leave me. I’ll always be a gymnast at heart.”