Ivy League To Opt Out of NCAA Settlement, Rejecting Revenue Sharing for Athletes

The Ivy League officially announced in an email Tuesday that it will opt out of a proposed National Collegiate Athletic Association settlement, declining to provide current and former student athletes with direct compensation through revenue sharing.

The original settlement — which the former Power Five conferences approved in May — asks that the NCAA enter a ten-year revenue sharing plan which will allow member schools’ athletic departments to pay up to 22 percent of the annual average of the Power Five schools to student athletes.

In the email, which Ivy League Executive Director Robin Harris sent to athletes and coaches, Harris wrote that the Ivy League will continue its policy of not partaking in “pay for play” deals for student athletes.

Harris wrote that the Ivy League Council of Presidents approved the decision on the recommendation of the Ivy League Athletics Directors and Policy Committee.

In a separate statement, Harris wrote that the Ivy League “remains committed to its foundational principles and longstanding rules that intentionally foster student participation in intercollegiate athletics as an important aspect of a holistic education.”

A Harvard spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

The approval hearing for the settlement is scheduled for April 7, when a judge will make a final decision on the case and what will be required of all teams in the NCAA.

If approved, the plaintiffs state that the settlement will become “one of the largest payouts in an antitrust settlement in U.S. history and lead to pro-competitive changes benefitting college athletes.”

The Ivy League’s decision against participation in the settlement is in line with its reluctance to embrace the donor-backed name, image and likeness collectives that have provided athletes at other schools with significant financial compensation.

In the past year, Harvard has lost several star players to schools that offer better NIL deals. Since April, Malik Mack and Chisom Okpara left Harvard men’s basketball for Georgetown and Stanford respectively, Cooper Williams left Harvard men’s tennis for Duke, and Cooper Barkate left Harvard football for Duke. All students will likely receive a competitive package at their new schools.

Richard Kent, a sports lawyer, explained that Ivy League schools could be placed at a competitive disadvantage when recruiting and maintaining talented athletes compared to other schools who opt in to the settlement.

Kent said he believes that the Ivy League’s decision to opt out of practices such as revenue-sharing will “accelerate” the trend of players transferring to other universities.

In an April interview, Athletics Director Erin McDermott said Harvard is a “40 year opportunity, not a four year opportunity,” and that its connections hold their own benefits.

“We’ve been able to stay competitive even though we don’t give athletic scholarships,” McDermott said. “So NIL adds now another layer on top.”

Earlier this month, Harvard announced its One Crimson NIL Exchange program to connect businesses with athletes for brand deals and sponsorships.

While the move could provide more Harvard athletes with NIL deals, McDermott emphasized in a message to alumni and donors that “arrangements with student-athletes remain compliant with regulations that forbid ‘pay for play’ activity.”

In her earlier statement, Harris denied that opting out of the settlement would negatively affect Ivy League sports, writing that the League will “continue to thrive competitively as one of the top five athletics conferences across all of Division I.”

—Staff writer Elyse C. Goncalves can be reached at elyse.goncalves@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @e1ysegoncalves.

—Staff writer Akshaya Ravi can be reached at akshaya.ravi@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @akshayaravi22.