After months of speculation, Judge Claudia Wilken approved the House v. NCAA settlement on Friday night. It has set the stage for multiple changes that will alter the landscape of college football.

It marks the beginning of the revenue-sharing era of college athletics, which will begin on July 1. Programs will be able to share $20.5 million with student athletes, with each sport receiving a set percentage of that total amount. It is expected that the total amount will increase in future seasons.

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum shared his thoughts on the future of college football during an appearance on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning. Finebaum started by questioning the authority of the NCAA and the lack of enforcement that has plagued the sport over the past few seasons.

“To me, the most significant thing that is easy to digest is the NCAA is no longer in the enforcement business,” Finebaum said. “This is not a surprise because they really haven’t been in a long time, which makes me wonder, and I know this new attorney that’s in charge talks a good game just like the last group talked a good game, but is anyone really going to be serious about enforcement? And the answer is no.”

Since the settlement was approved, the College Sports Commission will be in charge of enforcement. The commission named former MLB executive Bryan Seeley as CEO shortly after the settlement was approved. Seeley is a former U.S. attorney and has served as the senior executive vice president of investigations since 2014.

Finebaum also hinted that the rich will continue to get richer, offering a bleak outlook for programs that are not among the traditional powers in the sport.

“Because there’s still loopholes, there’s still ways to cheat, and ultimately, I don’t think much has happened here except the top of the pyramid is going to continue to succeed,” Finebaum continued. “And if you’re in the middle or the bottom, you have virtually no chance at success.”

Finebaum’s pessimistic outlook prompted McElroy to ask if this signaled the end of an even playing field for mid-major programs.

“Greg, no one will ever admit that, but you’re 100 percent correct. And I really don’t know how most colleges will be able to stay in this lane,” Finebaum said. “I think we’ll see another big bang explosion. I’ve heard people talk about it’s time for the conferences to leave the NCAA, and that’s already happened.”

UNC football head coach Bill Belichick said he’s “really focused on doing my job” amid news and rumors regarding his girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, per a news conference with reporters on Tuesday (h/t Ben Sherman of Inside Carolina).

“Yeah, I don’t know. Look, I’m really focused on doing my job here at Carolina, to help our football team, and just to get better every day,  to stack those days together, training days, preparation days, days out on the field. And we’ve done that. And our staff’s, again, done a great job of working hard to do that. So that’s my big focus. I mean, is there noise out there? We’ve always dealt with that. Really our job is to build the football team also build their individual career. So that’s really where we’re at.”

Last week, Meadowlark Media’s Pablo Torre’s went on Bill Simmons’ podcast and noted that people close to Belichick are questioning Hudson’s involvement with the program.

“What if I told you that [Belichick’s] inner circle of actual coaches on staff, including a certain Mike Lombardi, is deeply concerned about Jordon Hudson and her presence in the building?” Torre stated. Lombardi was named the general manager of the UNC program after Belichick became the Tar Heels’ head coach last December.

Torre, who has reported about Hudson and Belichick at great length over the past few months, also said in May that she was banned from UNC’s football facility.

That prompted this response from UNC.

There was also the now infamous and bizarre interview that Belichick had with CBS News in April to promote his new book, in which Hudson was in the background interrupting during various portions.

Hudson’s reported insistence on being involved in a previously planned project for Hard Knocks to cover UNC apparently put that to an end as well.

“Jordon Hudson, Belichick’s girlfriend, played an instrumental role in stopping the production, related to her request to be heavily involved in the project, according to multiple industry sources briefed on the negotiations,” Matt Baker, Andrew Marchand and Brendan Marks of The Athletic wrote in part on April 30.

Belichick was asked whether Hudson would be on the sidelines during games this year at the press conference (h/t David Ubben of The Athletic), and he provided this response.

“No, she doesn’t have any role in the UNC football program. But again, there’s been noise out there about a lot of different things. Our focus is day to day, getting better, stacking good days together.”

Belichick, an eight-time Super Bowl champion (six as a head coach, two as a defensive coordinator), is coaching in college for the first time in his life after nearly five decades in the pros. He’s looking to turn around a UNC program that went 6-7 (3-5 in ACC) last year. His first test will be at home against TCU on Monday, Sept. 1.

The long-awaited House Settlement was finally approved by Judge Claudia Wilken early in June. Now, ESPN pundit Paul Finebaum sees that there is a clear winner of the agreement.

For the short term, at least, Finebaum explained on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, that for the time being the Power Four commissioners won with the House Settlement. However, there is reason for concern on the horizon still.

“Today they did,” Paul Finebaum said. “And I think that’s why you see such bullishness from the four Power Four commissioners. I think what’s behind the curtain is what always concerns and keeps people that run college athletics up at night. If something is challengeable, you know enough and play golf with enough attorneys, it will be challenged. I don’t suspect, I know attorneys are sitting around right now — they’re not sitting, they’re actively moving — trying to figure out where the best route is, where the best lawsuit lies.”

In part of Judge Wilken’s decision, she shared that all the decisions in the House Settlement are challengeable in the court of law. That’s why Finebaum is concerned about further lawsuits, which could undo aspects of the settlement.

“I don’t mean to cast aspersions on the entire legal profession, although I will. They’re in business to make money as opposed to what I always thought they were supposed to do, which is protect people, defend people, and seek the truth and justice. But there will be a bevy of lawsuits and the same cats who filed this lawsuit are the ones I think you need to keep your eyes on,” Finebaum said. “And I think that’s where this is gonna get uncomfortable. Everybody’s speculating on where it goes.”

Even with the House Settlement, there has been a push for further changes within the sport. In particular, federal government involvement to set further laws regarding college sports. That even recently included Donald Trump meeting with SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey and Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua. Still, even with all of that, one thing Finebaum doesn’t expect is more help from Congress.

“I think the second part of it is Congress. I heard everyone yesterday talk about the need to get Congress involved. Well, I don’t believe we’re any closer to that than we were the day before or a year ago or three years ago,” Finebaum said. “Because Congress is not a body made to make decisions. The reason why people like divided leadership is nothing ever gets done because people in business really don’t want anything to get done.”

The House Settlement is going to bring with it several major changes to the college sports world. That, notably, includes revenue sharing with athletes. It’s also going to impose roster limits on sports, new NIL restrictions, and lead to back damages being paid.

“Despite some compromises, the settlement agreement nevertheless will result in extraordinary relief for members of the settlement classes,” Wilken wrote in her 76-page final opinion. “If approved, it would permit levels and types of student-athlete compensation that have never been permitted in the history of college sports, while also very generously compensating Division I student-athletes who suffered past harms.”

Plenty of questions linger over college sports, even with the House Settlement in place. It forms a new enforcement agency called the College Sports Commission. On top of that, it contradicts several state laws, including one in Tennessee that allows schools and their NIL collectives to continue to pay above the cap. How successful it slows down third-party NIL deals also remains to be seen.

2025 College World Series schedule

(Charles Schwab Field; Omaha, Neb.; all times PT)

Friday, June 13

Game 1: Arizona (44-19) vs. Coastal Carolina (53-11), 11 a.m., ESPN

Game 2: Louisville (40-22) vs. Oregon State (47-14-1), 4 p.m., ESPN

Saturday, June 14

Game 3: Murray State (43-15) vs. UCLA (47-16), 11 a.m., ESPN

Game 4: Arkansas (48-13) vs. LSU (48-15), 4 p.m., ESPN

Sunday, June 15

Game 5: Arizona/Coastal Carolina loser vs. Louisville/Oregon State loser, 11 a.m., ESPN

Game 6: Arizona/Coastal Carolina winner vs. Louisville/Oregon State winner, 4 p.m., ESPN2

Monday, June 16

Game 7: Murray State/UCLA loser vs. Arkansas/LSU loser, 11 a.m., ESPN

Game 8: Murray State/UCLA winner vs. Arkansas/LSU winner, 4 p.m., ESPN

Tuesday, June 17

Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 11 a.m., ESPN

Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 loser, 4 p.m., ESPN

Wednesday, June 18

Game 11: Game 6 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 11 a.m. ESPN

Game 12: Game 8 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 4 p.m., ESPN

Thursday, June 19

Game 13 (if necessary): Game 11 winner vs. Game 11 loser, time TBD, ESPN

Game 14 (if necessary): Game 12 winner vs. Game 12 loser, time TBD, ESPN

Saturday, June 21

Championship series Game 1, 4 p.m., ESPN

Sunday, June 22

Championship series Game 2, 11:30 a.m., ABC

Monday, June 23

(if necessary) Championship series Game 3, 4:30 p.m., ESPN

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — There’s a giant, gold-outlined rat emblazoned on the hat that dangles in Brad Marchand’s locker.

The scrappy NHL veteran has been likened to the tiny rodent for much of his career, notoriously known as “The Rat” among hockey fans for his brash play.

So when Marchand was traded from Boston to Florida back in March, it didn’t take long for him to embrace Panthers fans’ longstanding tradition of tossing plastic rats onto the ice after wins.

“I hope we get some rats thrown at us,” Marchand quipped at his locker on Sunday, before Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. “I just hope it’s on the ice and not outside.”

Marchand got his wish. After the Panthers routed the Edmonton Oilers 6-1 on Monday, those unmistakable gray pests rained down on the ice in a tradition that has lasted three decades. As they’ve done after most games this postseason, Marchand’s teammates fired the rats at his legs before exiting the ice.

For Marchand, getting the rats thrown at him is like a badge of honor — a tiny, symbolic moment that represents how the Panthers have been able to keep things lighthearted while going for their second straight championship.

“This group has a ton of fun,” Marchand said. “It’s an incredible environment to be a part of. In the room, on the ice, even just in the city, there’s a lot of excitement around right now.”

The rat-throwing tradition goes back 30 years

Before their 1995-96 season opener, Panthers players were waiting to take the ice in a cramped, makeshift dressing room at the now-demolished Miami Arena when a large rat scampered in.

“Players were jumping on top of their stalls … big, tough hockey players,” said Billy Lindsay, Panthers left wing from their expansion season in 1993 to 1999, “most of us were pretty scared of this big rat running around. We were ducking for cover everywhere.”

Right wing Scott Mellanby then grabbed his stick and one-timed the rat into the wall. The rodent went flying across the dressing room. It died as soon as it hit the wall. Players later memorialized it by circling the small dent in the blood-stained wall and placing a rat statue there for the year.

The Panthers went out and beat the Calgary Flames 4-3 that night. Mellanby scored a pair of goals with that same stick.

“Scott Mellanby didn’t even have time to really tape his stick,” Lindsay said. “So he’s got a little rat and blood there on his stick and went out there and scored a couple of goals.”

In his postgame news conference, goalie John Vanbiesbrouck noted that Mellanby had the NHL’s first “rat trick.”

The incident was in the local paper the next day. About a week or so later, a toy rat hit the ice after a home game. The next game, there were a couple more. By the end of that season, which included Lindsay scoring the game-winning goal that clinched Florida’s first ever playoff series win, the rat throwing had become such a phenomenon that the team earned a sponsorship from the pest control company Orkin.

“And funny enough, it’s still around today,” Lindsay said, “which is quite strange.”

‘It’s a feeling you can’t replicate’

Sports traditions are ubiquitous. Some are sacred. Many are quirky. And they can include just about anything. There’s the Lambeau Leap at Green Bay Packers games. The “Gatorade Bath” after a win in the NFL. LeBron James’ patented pregame chalk toss. Detroit Red Wings fans occasionally celebrate wins by throwing octopuses on the ice. The Nashville Predators have their catfish toss.

For the Panthers, who at the time were in just their third season as an NHL franchise, the rat throwing — buoyed by the fact that Florida made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final that year — became the first real way they got the South Florida fans in a non-traditional hockey market to embrace their team.

Colin Fox, 32, a Panthers fan from Boca Raton, Florida, said it’s “a thrill” to be a part of the rat throwing at the end of games.

“Even when they weren’t very good, when they weren’t on these hot streaks, there were still rats on the ice,” said Fox, who wore a throwback Mellanby jersey to Game 3 of the final. “It’s something that has persevered through the years.”

For opposing teams, the rats are often a nuisance, Lindsay said, recalling how some goalies would hide in their net between goals to try and escape them. So many hit the ice after that initial season the NHL changed its rules to say such in-game celebrations could lead to penalties, though the league still allowed rats to be thrown after games.

There’s plenty of rat-themed memorabilia for sale at Panthers games, and the plastic rodents themselves can be purchased all over Miami. At gas stations. Party stores. Some fans order them online.

The rats that Panthers fan JP Kirkpatrick, 23, tossed onto the ice after a game this season came from a fan sitting next to him who brought plenty of extras.

“It’s a feeling you can’t replicate,” said Kirkpatrick, an Orlando, Florida, native. “It’s something you can’t get (anywhere else). You’ve got to be there to get it. You can’t watch it on TV. You can’t get it in the parking lot. You’ve got to be out there, be in the seat. The fans, everybody there, it’s electric.”

No one from that 1995 Panthers group thought they’d be a part of creating a lasting, iconic symbol for the team, but as they look back on that moment amid all the Panthers’ recent success, they’re proud of what it’s become.

“There’s been enough people from back then to hang on to the tradition and pass it along,” Lindsay said. “And now you get this unparalleled success where you get three Stanley Cup appearances in a row, you win a Stanley Cup championship, you’re looking for a second. And that rat is just (still) going.

“It just makes me proud of what we started.”