College football athletes are about to get paid – not to play, but for the NCAA using their likeness in NCAA Football video games.
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In 2009, former Nebraska football student-athlete Sam Keller filed a lawsuit objecting to the use of his likenesses as well as those of former and current student-athletes as in-game avatars.
“We are pleased with the decision from Judge Wilken to approve the $60 million combined settlement that will be distributed to hundreds of student-athletes.” he said.
O’Bannon and 19 others sued the NCAA, claiming the organization violated United States antitrust laws by not allowing athletes to get a share of the revenues generated from the use of their images in broadcasts and video games. EA Sports hasn’t created the college games since 2013 due to the litigation.
Both EA and the Collegiate Licensing Company agreed to pay $40 million to previous players back in May 2014, NCAA also agreed to pay $20 million a month later.
She [Wilken] wants what we want: a fair payment for the attorneys, who took tremendous risks, and the best results for those athletes who make claims.
According to the report Steve Berman, one of the attorneys for the plaintiffs in the case, estimates that athletes who received maximum exposure (based in part upon how many years they played in college) in the games could receive up to $7,200. The amount each will be paid depends on whether a player’s name appeared on a team roster, whether his assigned jersey number appeared on a virtual player, and whether his photograph appeared in the video game, as well as the number of years his name or likeness had been used, USA Today reported. “The claims rate is approaching 30% and that is a great response”.
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Those athletes still playing college sports can receive money from the settlement without any detriment to their eligibility.
