NCAA passes series of rules that sets table for schools to pay players directly

By EDDIE PELLS Associated Press The NCAA passed rules Monday that would upend decades of precedent by allowing colleges to pay their athletes per terms of a multibillion-dollar lawsuit settlement expected to go into effect this summer Related Articles Aggressive Xaverian scores early vs Walpole en trail to - win Walker Buehler pitches Marathon Monday masterpiece in - Red Sox accomplishment Sports world mourns soccer-loving Pope Francis with games in Italy and Argentina postponed Red Sox Brayan Bello cleared to make season debut Tuesday vs Mariners Former Red Sox infielder makes surreal return to Fenway on Marathon Monday The nine proposals passed by the NCAA board were largely expected but still mark a defining day in the history of college sports An athlete s ability to be paid directly by his or her university is on track to be enshrined in a rulebook that has forbidden that kind of relationship for decades For the NCAA rules to officially go into effect the changes prescribed by the House settlement still have to be granted final approval by a federal judge whose hearing earlier this month led to questions about possible tweaks before the new guidelines are supposed to go into play on July The changes will eliminate around rules and alter a great number of others in the NCAA s sprawling rulebook They essentially codify measures set up by the settlement including Modifying bylaws to allow schools to pay the athletes directly Eliminating scholarship limits for teams while also setting roster limits that are designed to replace the scholarship caps Particular details of the roster limits which were a key sticking point in the April hearing will be finalized later Establishing annual reporting requirements for schools that pay athletes a payment pool is set to be approximately million for the biggest schools beginning next academic year Setting up a clearinghouse for all name image and likeness NIL deals that come from third parties and are worth or more Granting authority to an enforcement body being developed by the conferences named as defendants in the lawsuit to enforce the new rules passed to implement terms of the settlement This includes compliance with roster limits payment of direct benefits to players and meeting requirements for the third-party deals