College Coaching Associations Respond to Approval of NCAA Settlement, Urge Congressional Action to Protect Broad-Based Sports

June 6, 2025 – In response to today’s approval of the House v. NCAA settlement agreement by the Honorable Judge Claudia Wilken, four national collegiate coaching associations—the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA), and U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA)—have issued a joint statement recognizing the progress made while expressing serious concerns about the implications for broad-based collegiate athletics.

While the settlement represents a significant step toward resolving antitrust claims related to athlete compensation, the associations caution that it may have devastating consequences for non-revenue sports.

The statement reads as follows:

College Coaches Associations Statement on House v. NCAA Settlement Approval

American Volleyball Coaches Association
College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America
National Wrestling Coaches Association
U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association

Today, the Honorable Judge Claudia Wilken approved a settlement agreement resolving three antitrust lawsuits related to compensation for college student-athletes. While Judge Wilken’s decision marks significant progress in addressing the evolving college sports landscape, we remain deeply concerned about the potential negative impact the settlement may have on broad-based sports programs.

We are concerned that the new financial obligations placed on schools will force administrators to divert their attention and resources away from non-football and non-basketball sports – the programs where the majority of NCAA student-athletes participate. This is no hypothetical. Budget cuts and program eliminations have already taken place in anticipation of today’s outcome, and more are likely to follow. Furthermore, the settlement leaves unaddressed the critical issues of employment classification for student-athletes and the application of Title IX, creating further uncertainty and risk for our sports programs in particular.

The future of college sports must not disproportionately benefit a small fraction of the NCAA student-athlete population while jeopardizing opportunities for others. Congress must intervene to address these pressing issues and ensure a balanced, equitable path forward for all student-athletes, including the protection of existing requirements of schools to maintain robust sport sponsorship and meaningful allocation of resources for non-football and non-basketball programs.

The associations also emphasized the settlement’s failure to resolve key issues related to student-athlete employment classification and Title IX compliance—factors that compound the uncertainty for Olympic and broad-based sports.

Calling on Congress to intervene, the organizations stressed the need for a balanced and equitable path forward that protects opportunities for all student-athletes—not just those in revenue-generating sports.

The four associations reaffirm their commitment to advocating for legislative solutions and will continue working collaboratively to protect the future of Olympic and broad-based sports within collegiate athletics. Their current legislative priorities, in addition to ensuring athletes are not classified as employees and advocating for uniform NIL regulation, include:

Protect: Establish proportional spending targets by classification to safeguard meaningful investment in Olympic sports.

Maintain: Codify the current NCAA sport sponsorship requirements outlined in NCAA Bylaw 20—16 sports for FBS programs, and 14 for FCS and non-football Division I institutions.

About the USTFCCCA

The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) is a non-profit professional organization representing cross country and track & field coaches of all levels. The organization represents over 11,000 coaching members encompassing 98-percent of all NCAA track & field programs (DI, DII, and DIII) and includes members representing the NAIA and NJCAA, as well as a number of state high school coaches associations. The USTFCCCA serves as an advocate for cross country and track & field coaches, providing a leadership structure to assist the needs of a diverse membership, serving as an activist for coaches’ interests, and working as a liaison between the various stakeholders in the sports of cross country and track & field.