CINCINNATI — Former and current University of Cincinnati student-athletes are eligible for name, image and likeness (NIL) backpay, pending a final approval hearing for a $2.576 billion settlement involving the House versus NCAA case from this past fall.
UC explained the NIL backpay application process in a news release Wednesday.
Former and current student-athletes who were on a roster starting June 15, 2016, through Sept. 15, 2024, are eligible for NIL backpay, pending approval of the settlement. The final approval hearing is scheduled for April 7.
Current or former student-athletes have until Friday to file a claim and can visit collegeathletecompensation.com to determine their status.
The backpay amounts will be determined by a distribution plan designed by the plaintiffs in the case. Institutions will not have a say in backpay amounts.
The backpay amounts will not be paid to former student-athletes directly from UC but as part of the NCAA’s legal settlement process. UC and all NCAA Division I institutions would jointly fund the backpay amounts. The revenue distributions are not dependent on how many student-athletes from any institution opt in or out of the settlement.
Just because current and former student-athletes are eligible for NIL backpay doesn't mean it's a guarantee.
Former UC men's basketball player Cane Broome said on social media he won't receive anything after going through the application process.
UC also said in a news release as a Big 12 member it is mandated to opt into the House versus NCAA settlement and will be permitted to compensate their own student-athletes directly starting this summer. The permissive cap imposed by the settlement could be around $20-22 million in the 2025-26 school year, according to estimates.
The NCAA first adopted its name, image and likeness policy in 2021 after multiple states passed legislation allowing college athletes to be paid for work involving their name, image and likeness.
The NIL landscape has altered with the House versus NCAA case. House is Grant House, a former Arizona State University swimmer and St. Xavier High School graduate.
Most NCAA Division I institutions have not announced plans for distributing revenue to the various school sports in the 2025-26 school year.
However, Texas Tech, a Big 12 member, announced in December it would allocate a majority of its revenue-sharing distribution to football and men's basketball in the 2025-26 school year, according to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
