More than 20,000 current and former NCAA athletes have filed a claim as part of a class action suit over the use of their names and/or likeness in a string of popular NCAA-branded video games. And it appears they’re closer than ever to getting paid.
According to this report from CBS Sports, a US District Judge has approved a $60 million settlement between the athletes and video game manufacturer EA Sports, along with the NCAA and the Collegiate Licensing Company. There will now be 30 days in which the defendants can file an appeal.
Should the settlement get past that process, each player will awarded a maximum of $7,200 and the deadline to file claims has been extended 15 days to July 31st. Claimants must have played in the NCAA between May 4, 2003, and September 3, 2014.
As the report indicates, a players payout is dependant on a number of factors, including whether or not his name was on a roster, his jersey was replicated on screen, the year he was in a video game, and whether or not photographs of him were used as part of the game. All told, 111,174 NCAA football players and 21,309 basketball players were in EA Sports games during the ’03-’14 window.
Of the thousands who have filed claim, reportedly between 400-450 are current NCAA athletes. Their eligibility will not be affected.
