The results are in, and we now know exactly how the $60 million settlement from the Ed O’Bannon case will be split up. Over 24,000 athletes that have appeared in the NCAA franchises between 2003 and 2014 will be receiving a chunk of the settlement, with the average reward being somewhere in the ballpark of $1,600, according to ESPN.
The number of claims was revealed earlier this week when lawyers for the athletes whose likeness was used without permission filed a letter with the court. The players will be paid based on what year they appeared in the franchise, and how their image was used. The later the year, the higher the payout. That goes double for athletes with photographs and avatars.
The players that stand to make the biggest chunk of money from the settlement are Ed O’Bannon, Ryan Hart, and Sam Keller, who are estimated to make about $15,000 each. Another 21 players will receive $5,000 as class-action representatives, including former wide receiver for Alabama, Tyrone Prothro.
According to paperwork, as many as 200,000 athletes could be part of the class action suit, leaving a payout between $259 and $2,703 per year, per game at a 10% claim rate. The lawsuit put a halt to EA’s NCAA Football franchise, leaving fans like Todd Howard of Bethesda Game Studios fame without a football video game.
Like most fans out there, we’d love to see NCAA Football make a return. Unfortunately, it still looks like it’ll be a while yet before that happens. Regardless, at least the Ed O’Bannon lawsuit is finally starting to wrap up. If you ask me, the settlement is well deserved for the athletes.
What do you think about the news? Are you happy to hear that athletes are getting the compensation they deserve? Let us know in the comments or on social media. As always, we’ll keep you posted on the latest NCAA Football news.