Amid the upcoming June 15 deadline for the House vs. NCAA settlement, Marist Athletics informed the NCAA at the March 1 deadline that they intend to opt into the settlement, Marist athletic director Tim Murray told Center Field.
Opting into the settlement allows Marist University to begin directly sharing revenue with its athletes, which Murray said can expand name, image and likeness opportunities by directly paying athletes for their NIL rights rather than through a third party.
“Marist is committed to being a Division I institution,” Murray said in an interview. “We want to do what we can to stay competitive at that level.”
Despite the intent to opt in, Murray stated that the decision gives the university “flexibility” to change that decision, barring any unforeseen legal changes. If the settlement is approved on April 7 by California District Court Judge Claudia Wilken, Marist has until June 15 to change their decision.
While direct NIL sharing with student athletes is the main component of the settlement, it also eliminates scholarship limits across all sports. Instead, the settlement requires athletic departments to change the size of their rosters across teams if they exceed limits set by the NCAA. A prior figure from January 2024 reported by the Associated Press estimated that over 10,000 athletes were cut from rosters in non-revenue sports because of walk-on athlete restrictions.
Murray expects no issues with the roster limits imposed by opting into the settlement, stating that rosters will comply with the regulations by “natural attrition” from graduating athletes, the transfer portal and other factors. Marist’s various coaching staffs have been aware of the settlement’s effect on roster sizes since last August, which they have adapted to when recruiting new athletes. Murray stated that “most” rosters are currently under the maximum.
“Our intent is to have zero impact on the student athlete,” Murray stated to Center Field.
Murray said that Marist president Kevin Weinman is “fully on board” with the decision to opt into the settlement.
“He wants us to be competitive, but he doesn’t want to do it at the expense of the athlete or academics,” said Murray.
The settlement, which would require NCAA institutions to pay $1.6 billion (the NCAA is paying $1.2 billion), is split 60% from the power conferences and 40% from all other Division I conferences, money which will be distributed to athletes who played before the NCAA approved NIL deals in 2021.
Each school in the MAAC conference will pay an equal split to reach the settlement agreement, regardless of opting in or out of the settlement–a number Murray said will be “manageable” for Marist to handle.
Schools that do not opt into the settlement cannot directly compensate their athletes via NIL revenue sharing. The Times Union reported that Siena College, a fellow MAAC school, does not intend to opt into the settlement (but will still evaluate the decision according to Siena Athletics), meaning they cannot arrange NIL deals with their athletes and instead must go through third-party proprietors.
The Times Union also reported that the MAAC will lose $2.8 million annually due to the settlement over the next ten years, starting in 2025. Murray said that major tournament wins, such as Saint Peter’s Sweet Sixteen run (which ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported gained the conference $8.2 million in funding spread over six years) and Mount St. Mary’s recent 2025 tournament win in the First Four, will lighten the conference’s fiscal losses.
Merrimack College, a new member of the MAAC with a hockey program in the Hockey East conference, reportedly intends to opt into the house settlement, according to Mike McMahon of College Hockey News. Other MAAC schools have yet to publicly announce their intent to opt in or out of the settlement.
Many public figures and student athletes have opposed the settlement, including prolific gymnast Olivia Dunne, who filed a letter objecting to the NIL settlement. She disagreed with the settlement due to the lack of student representation in the NIL discussions. On March 4, the Associated Press reported that plaintiff attorneys noted 73 athletes filed objections to the settlement, with 343 of 390,000 athletes covered in the class-action suit opting out of the agreement.
According to the Ave Maria School of Law, the settlement does not cover topics such as how the settlement will coincide with Title IX, state legislation, or classifying student athletes as college employees. If approved, Judge Wilken will determine the future proceedings of the settlement on April 7.
Edited by Marley Pope
Graphic by Daniel Aulbach; Photo from Marist Athletics
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