Paul Finebaum details the latest on the NCAA AGREEING to pay players | First Take

On First Take, Paul Finebaum joins Stephen A. Smith, Jay Williams and Molly Qerim to detail the latest on the Power 5 conferences in the NCAA allowing schools to pay players.
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[@Mark-xl1ze]

SMU is wondering where was this in the '80s? lol

[@thesadjetfan]

I am really happy someone brought this up.

[@GoatedAtNFS]

exactly, SMU is about to run the ACC

[@j_atkinson]

Excellent point.

[@Redaku418]

Yeah I hear that school is loaded

[@GoatedAtNFS]

@@Redaku418 it is both money and roster wise, it’ll fight to get in the big picture in 3 years

[@senor_clyde6214]

SEC schools like “wait, now other schools can pay players?!”

[@GoatedAtNFS]

don’t act like other schools weren’t paying players under the table either. look up the Dakotas

[@HTHAMMACK1]

They were paying players just like the SEC. Ever heard if Reggie Bush?

[@rooseveltcooper]

😂😂😂😂

[@greg7964]

​@HTHAMMACK1 nice try bringing up Reggie Bush. That's not what happened lol

[@zerolb33]

Exactly

[@danielgrooms4191]

Starting left tackle 45 dollars an hour 😂😂😂😂

[@matro8147]

better than 0 dollars an hour lol

[@djacks247]

Lol I love how they restored Reggie Bush Heisman Trophy right before the settlement was announced.

[@user-se7hf3vm3v]

Definitely was calculated 😂😂

[@ghsense2626]

Shadeur Sanders finna sign a 100 mil contract in college

[@josiahmitchell8594]

Maybe not

[@JJdeluxeCSU]

Of all the players, he’s not the one you pay that much.. he is so overrated, good luck

[@thatguybill34]

​@@JJdeluxeCSU#1 2025 NFL Pick

[@JJdeluxeCSU]

@@thatguybill34 never gonna happen!! Worse than Jamarcus as a top pick, Shaddy is Johnny football type crap

[@next4506]

@@JJdeluxeCSU He's not remotely similar to either of those players. Just say you don't watch football.

[@marcusyoung9249]

Only 2.8 billion they got off light compared to the trainwreck the ncaa has been for decades!!

[@JonSnowsGhost]

“Agreeing” or “Forced” after years of making billions off of the backs of student athletes for crumbs.

[@AK-sq1jl]

I dont get this mentality. Walmart makes billions off the backs of their workers for "crumbs". There's no huge movement to get then paid millions of dollars. Why are athletes more special than the rest of us?

[@aishabintabubakr4944]

Those players are losers and don't deserve crumbs...they deserve nothing. You are here to perform; and any player who doesn't perform should be fired and kicked out of university

[@DarrylJones-jc7wq]

@@aishabintabubakr4944What?😂

[@timotundy]

@@aishabintabubakr4944they do. It’s about time they made money. It’s probably going to destroy my alma mater. Oh well. It’s a great opportunity for players . Now they can get paid and maybe take care of their future.

[@TahitianTreatSkeetJuiceJr]

​@@aishabintabubakr4944can tell u got touched asAChild

[@swanyay3304]

It’s time to finally put an end to the NCAA. The exploitation was so egregious for decades

[@user-wv9zv4qo6n]

corruption

[@jamesfayne108]

About time they got rid of those slave rules

[@Tacodip420]

They will always exist. Know your place.

[@keithcooper04]

Slave rules? Are you familiar with how actual slaves lived and were treated?

[@thisgamegavemecancer1813]

@@Tacodip420 how often did u have 2 watch that train on ur mum?

[@martinphillips7886]

Wrong response but prepare mad because black players will benefit from this. Now, someone needs to talk to these young players to not blow their money

[@nicholastaylor144]

@@Tacodip420 How about you come show us our place boy

[@rooseveltcooper]

About time! LONG overdue!

[@aishabintabubakr4944]

You are a eunuch crying over crappy players who perform a trick you can teach a dog.... ..."fetch, boy! Go get that ball!"

[@darrylhenry3188]

As a former D1 mid major player im happy it doesn't go back to when i was was playing but this is great

[@Umbrella_TV]

(ALL) D-1 Athletes from (ALL) Sports are included. This is FANTASTIC News!!!💯💯

[@zellodavis8453]

But most of those sports and schools lose money. So if in this look back the schools say, we’ll, they were actually employees, not students, do they send bills, including tuition, to those who played sports that cost the school money?

[@RealBuziness]

@@zellodavis8453they pocketed BILLIONS consider it paying it “forward” 😁

[@garuiz3487]

This will hurt more than it helps. It’s a business. I’m the next couple of years , they will start cutting the smaller sports.

[@RealBuziness]

@@garuiz3487 no they won’t

[@robertgoodson5528]

@@RealBuziness Umm... yes, they will. In fact, the P4 universities have admitted as much in their testimonies to Congress. Less than 30 universities turn a profit with their athletic departments. Effectively, this settlement (and the ongoing payments) just relegated, bankrupted, and/or borderline bankrupted over half of the D1 programs. To top it all off, we still have clowns believing the NCAA is exploiting the student-athletes.

[@MrDmoney1984]

I’m for players getting paid, but let’s see if the product stays competitive

[@Kevin.Costner.]

Oh for sure it will, extra bit of hunger knowing winners of March Madness split the Rev 👀🍿 (and not just the NIL Big names)

[@Kevin.Costner.]

Trickle down effect will be nice to see, plus rev from small Universities hosting like Blue Bloods etc

[@healthcareanalyst8064]

The SEC will be idk about the rest.

[@GoatedAtNFS]

it won’t

[@jakehm3678]

My pushback for that would be that competition should elevate honestly, kids coming out of high school being able to justify sports MORE because of actually getting paid? I feel like a lot more parents are going to be pushing their kids to keep up with sports if they want. Overall intrigued and excited!

[@SimpleSolutionsFitness]

Should be more than the last 10 years

[@brianherrera95]

its not even the last 10 years, more like 7-8 years smh

[@FestusParker-sm9gg]

Statute of limitations.

[@membroedits]

Huge news! Let’s see how it goes…

[@bigbadjohn7053]

The unforeseen consequences of this are going to be fascinating to watch.

[@user-th5rs4zv4c]

This is why I love the NIL. It is forcing school to do what they have been doing out in the open.

[@dentonyoung4314]

Rick Telander called it... in 1988, in his book "The Hundred Yard Lie".

[@cndungu]

The way Molly introduced Jay man haha

[@e3erockstar08]

😂😂😂😂

[@uc95nu51]

Alright!!! I'll be waiting for my $3.48 check in the mail. I played 5 years at Ona State Technical Service College of Agricultural University.

[@rainmwhop]

Zion and Caitlyn Clark bouta get a bag

[@paullawrence8075]

What a win for the young athletes in college. Fantastic 😊!!

[@jakederouin9116]

So if I am a current track and XC runner at the university of Colorado. Will I be cut a check? I am confused about the 14000 plaintiffs thing. I don’t remember choosing to be part of the lawsuits.

[@doctorkhumalo7730]

About bloody time.

[@rccharger21]

If they start paying "student" athlete's, they should raise the pay of the employees who coordinate the events first.

[@dontmindme4197]

Make this make any sense

[@uwarrior]

I could listen to this topic for hours

[@demitriuswilliams4729]

Awesome 💯

[@ilmari23]

This is major, long over due and deserved.

[@0-Elias-0]

NCAA: We agree to pay $3,000,000,000 → for the damage we've caused. Lawyers: We agree to accept $1,000,000,000 → for the connections we've made. Executives: We agree to bank the remaining $2,000,000,000 → for our desire to maintain the status quo Players/Plaintiffs: We agree to continue begging for our fair share *Watch Where the Money Goes*

[@dxwallace55]

No different than the NFL an concussions....

[@LifesGood-nu6rd]

Well said

[@SuperChaosTTV]

If I recall correctly, the lawyer fees are to be paid by the defendants, separate from litigation funds.

[@drew7481]

I was 17 when I started playing D1 football, but knew it was a farce. Everyone was eating well, and we were all enslaved. I’m talking 16-hour days - no exaggeration. I see the ptsd playing out in myself and my brothers as we age. Payments probably go out starting in 2000.

[@tazkaned]

Huge W

[@DemonLoso]

S/O Paul for talking that talk!

[@dereknunn2699]

HUGE MOVE! Shame it stops at 2016...

[@chideraumeh5524]

What exactly does mean for former athletes after 2016

[@bigj6706]

I wanna see how this goes. Are they gonna pay every player the same?

[@RetroEmpireDefend]

Its about time. No more labor without compensation.

[@edj9013]

will the athletes be getting paid for their likeness and still have full scholarships too? This seems like a disadvantage to the mid market and smaller schools.

[@vikkandiah4661]

About time..

[@seymoresmithh8908]

Next up, classes optional. What’s the point forcing these -student- athletes to go to class?

[@atlantasveryown1206]

So they should be playing for free?? You are a joke !!! You don’t want to see majority of black players getting paid…just admit it lol

[@dontmindme4197]

It should be optional is a joke of a farm system

[@MichaelWalker-wu2pq]

They shouldn't have to. It's not real anyway. These kids are here for the sports and they will get a degree one way or another. They make the money for the big colleges.

[@ryanlebard3787]

@MichaelWalker-wu2pq… let’s be real? Most schools have how many pros per team? I know for basketball at least the number is very very small

[@MichaelWalker-wu2pq]

@@ryanlebard3787 it differs from school to school. The revenue they generate for these schools is staggering though.

[@jcsmith2231]

Makes you wonder who was getting all this money before thst they are allowing the players to have and who is getting the rest of the billions.

[@clearstar8354]

Not really. It's pretty easy. Most of it is public information - First -the revenue from football & Basketball goes to other Olympic & non-Olympic sports...those days are sadly in jeopardy now. Second - it goes to coaches salaries & these crazy $75 million buyouts. Third - it goes to massive Venues that have been expanded over the past 20 years of all of these stadiums. Fourth - it goes to 180,000 scholarships the NCAA gives out yearly, yes that actually costs money...they have to PAY the universities. That's $9 billion dollars a year in scholarships. Fifth - it goes to advertising & exuberant venues for things like College Football Playoffs. Please don't write posts acting like a bunch of Execs and University Presidents are just stuffing billions in their pockets. I'm all for paying players, but the money actually mostly goes BACK toward areas of the university, stadiums or other sports, etc. If that wasn't the case, wouldn't you think we'd be hearing about how rich these individual guys were like we do Elon Musk? The NCAA CEO/President salary is $15 million...coaches make about $10million...AD's make like $1-3 million. I'm not saying that chump change, and players should get PAID, but no one is "stealing" billions in their pockets.

[@4hisglory864]

Awesome

[@clinteastwoo12]

Schools will start to charge/deduct in state and out of state tuition.

[@alex1vid]

Correction - they will now use this as an excuse.... to charge more etc. etc.

[@genito1]

Let just hope they don't pass the cost onto regular student tutions. The whole university system in the USA is very predatory

[@AK-sq1jl]

As someone who had to work a 3rd shift job at Walmart to pay my bills and STILL take on 18k worth of debt to pay for school im honestly bitter about this. I wouldve killed to have been able to play a sport just for the free scholarship. My life would be monumentally different right now if that had happened for me. I was always told life aint fair though so it is what it is.

[@matro8147]

you live in a 1st world country you already won the life lottery statistically speaking, there will always be people higher up in life than you it is what it is.

[@laman012]

​@@matro8147this is the truth. Living in a well-developed country is such a blessing people don't understand. Of course these countries, especially the usa, got rich through slavery and land theft, then stealing the resources from the global south. But for the people living there, the opportunities and unmatched.

[@GoodStuff1992]

you should have learned how to run, jump or throw a ball.

[@NotExplicable]

They should cover players that got injured that never rebounded.

[@leebanmohamed8549]

“Ay Paul what you tell em, leave the sides, leave the sides 🤣🤣”

[@gseric4721]

Anybody if it's just Dl?

[@KnowledgeB501]

They need to take that all the way back to the 90's!!!

[@Kevin.Costner.]

This guy’s a bit early, lets see if he Glazes Bama before September😭

[@jsanders9975]

If they are employees won't that make 4yr eligibility illegal? You can't be discriminated against based on age right?

[@usmanchaudhry6678]

About $172,000 for every plaintiff

[@cald4aprps628]

Nah, it should be allocated based on an estimate of who brought the most money in.

[@Pon-21]

I will be curious what this agreement does for the CHL and NCAA. For those that are unaware if you played in the Canadian Hockey League you lost your NCAA eligibility because they deemed them professionals even though they technically weren't.

[@cmay4242]

Im down for all this, but there will be a day where you get cut for on field performance.

[@Yut-vs7zg]

It’s always been like that lol

[@michaelthomas5140]

I’m sure I’m pretty lost on this issue, but all I see that changed is schools are allowed to pay up to $20m each year for their roster. I still don’t see how this has to do with NIL collectives at all, or the portal. If anything this could make players/families/agents even more greedy and they’ll sit out. Either make it fully professional or eliminate the NIL collectives.

[@GoodStuff1992]

The big 10 conference has the most money of any power 5. i wonder will this translate to more wins now

[@dasher920]

If the players are getting paid, they don’t need full scholarships… That means the money can go to other students …. That’s the way it should be. They shouldn’t have it both ways

[@saiyanroyalty229]

PREACH

[@Itz_Crawfish]

THANK YOU

[@lexjim9949]

Ofc they can pay, is a billion dollar industry, did you think a scholarship was fair compensation for all the money they produce? ..scholarchip is change money, bootlicker

[@GoatedAtNFS]

Tuition is officially a death sentence

[@tedhall9257]

Considering that those athletic programs pay for many of other programs and services on campus….I think that the kids still being able to pursue a degree if they want, without debt, is still more than fair. How about you start with taking away a mil or 2 from the wealthy coaches to add to other students financial aid, since you’re so virtuous.

[@thesadjetfan]

I am sort of very worried that is only going to be a good thing for the 2 or 3 sports that make money at every school-- I.e.: football and men's and women's basketball-- and everyone else is going to be sitting there wondering where their money is. Stephen A sort of alluded to it my mentioning a swimmer at ASU, but I am truly curious as to how that will break down. But, I am happy to hear it.

[@skoroma94]

Bouts time

[@user-er3ri6sc3j]

Brian Bosworth is saying......

[@tyqwanmuhammad]

Schools been secretly doing this for the longest now they don’t gotta hide it 😂😂😂

[@dentonyoung4314]

My question is, how does this affect Olympic sports? Also, where does Title IX fit in?

[@BenLegacy.]

Taxes will be paid also helmets pads housing all will no longer be paid ..lets talk about that part

[@MichaelWalker-wu2pq]

That would be a mistake for a college to do that to your top athletes when they bring the money to your school. I would love if a rival school did this and I advertised that my school doesn't. Easy way to get the talent towards my program. 😂

[@case1737]

It's a W although long overdue. I just don't want to see them pass the expense off on student tuitions, activity fees, etc.

[@garuiz3487]

This is gonna be bad. Most sports lose money. The business side will say to eliminate some of the sports / athletes.

[@speedracer2336]

I don’t like pay for play, but coaches making over 10 mil per year blows my mind!

[@marcusyoung9249]

Long over due!

[@MangoTroubles-007]

I said it once and I'll say it again David Stern is a criminal

[@305boy]

Looks like a couple of us about to get some type of money

[@Itz_Crawfish]

Then get rid of full scholarships....

[@MMALifestyle1972]

Nope they will still have to pay for those. Because full ride scholarships aren't just in sports. They're an academics as well.

[@jmcgee39]

Wouldn't work unless you're talking about only for the athletes because full ride scholarships also apply to non athletes as well.

[@guru47pi]

Or cut tuition so that kids can afford to go to college regardless of how high they can jump.

[@isiahsalim1688]

The scholarship is the lynchpin of recruiting if those were taken away kids would argue that they shouldn’t have to pass or even take classes instead they just doing a job

[@ayoreef9683]

probably gonna make it less competitive but fair is fair these athletes deserve to get paid

[@EmiliosFather]

Watch the players not have any reverence for those who made this happen.

[@Lbb789]

Wow. Beginning of the End

[@MangoTroubles-007]

Well you're ignorant

[@drewmeyer9679]

Competition is about to go down,

[@Nogo-Bronco]

I believe that to be the case for some. Say there is a prominent mid level college that has had a rich tradition in baseball for many years in any conferencep. What happens to them now that they have not the means to win a bidding war? Would they disappear now into the cellar? The rich may get richer in talent now and eclipse that college based on revenue alone

[@JimmieBrown-sg8fq]

Need to end the joke of a phase "student athlete". Basically NCAA sports esp. football and basketball are booster clubs for the schools and minor leagues for NFL and NBA. Employee status, collective bargaining all that will need to be worked out. NFL and NBA should be on the hook for some of this, they basically got a freebie for player development.

[@paigecanfield1362]

Employees of the school ,that how athletes at universities will be knowns as.

[@memphismadekel]

Players don’t take advantage of this, stay focused and locked in

[@ChreamOhWheat]

These new indeed posts for a "Experienced LT for an Inspiring playoff team" bout to be wild 😂😂😂

[@artmessiah83]

I mean……what other choice did they have??

[@ralphcantrell3214]

And how will this affect past top tier players that got career ending injuries, like Marcus Lattimore and Tyrone Prothro? Surely there is a plan to take care of them too.

[@chrismarshall8855]

And this is the last season I give a crap about college athletics. In memoriam: what athletic competition truly embodied, amateur college sports

[@zplapplap]

Amateur ideals have value, to me. Major college football is not an amateur sport.

[@RD-wg9em]

Division 3 still exists, and the people pearl clutching about amateurism could’ve been watching that level all this time. Amateurism in D1 has been a farce since the 80s lawsuit bringing extreme TV money into these institutions, let alone other forms of revenue they generated

[@chrismarshall8855]

@@RD-wg9em ​​⁠can’t argue against that. Good points. I wonder though how long it’s going to take until the “farce” reaches D3. Until then…Go Bellarmine!

[@kingbalmer3810]

The original plan was the same except that about it was for 3.5 billion to 3.75 billion dollars they got a deal but I’m happy to see that the current proposal is almost as identical as the original proposal and the spread out the wealth with the brothers and sisters out there ❤

[@kelvinquartey6888]

Work Study x10 🎉

[@stevenrunyon170]

Make them now pay for their tuition.

[@tonyg76]

Good point!

[@user-wv9zv4qo6n]

Make them pay rent or whatever if they opt out of school and do the requirement of 1 year in college athletics. Most are students and wont go pro so yes pay your schooling. Those who are gifted enough to 1 and done. Shouldnt be required to enroll in classes. They are there for the requirement of 1 year. Either way NCAA is corrupt and good for them.

[@SOURJDADDY]

They already do…. It’s called a scholarship

[@tezlove6637]

This is Great for the kids because now they don't have to rush for the NBA after one year!

[@thomasobrien4706]

I can see private colleges and universities paying their players, after all, it's their money and their choice. That said, why should the tax payers who pay to support state colleges and universities which are supposed to be institutions of higher education have to pay athletes to attend. Giving a scholarship is one thing, but making colleges pay student athletes in the form of a salary will make a mockery of higher education.

[@keepitreal9213]

So my Michigan Football in the clear 👀

[@johnnyvansguard869]

They should have Riley Gaines come on the show and talk about it

[@shedflips]

One thing that has always been done - calling college players "kids". Which I understand they are young, but the moniker "kid" kinda insinuates they don't have the same rights as full fledged adults.

[@BrianJohnson-du6pj]

Its sad it took this long!

[@jarvissledge2530]

The 2016 thing should not be added

[@gonzoradio1007]

Does this mean that College hoops on Playstation is coming back???!

[@Personalfinance_10174]

So why are they still connected to colleges? Spin off the football and baseball as junior pro leagues, the rest can be amateur clubs. (With sports betting legal, high school seniors able to mint their future in a single NIL deal, this can either be done pro-actively or wait for the inevitable ugly decline of a monopolistic cartel being forced to share revenue.)

[@KingSebastian10]

I can’t wait til my son get to college 😂 I send him to every football camp there is in our region so he can be as great as he can be, Go D1 and get to the NFL or bare minimum overseas league

[@HUGIZZLES]

Only D1 Athletes?

[@perrywashup5168]

About time and the past ain't the past if yall only going back 2016 they should go back further than that and I'm 41 years old I'm sure they made way more than 2.7b.. saying to the athletes is crazy cause they still determine the amount go directly to the players and what goes towards schools.. that ain't right but good for them

[@jakederouin9116]

I really hope this doesn’t kill Olympic Sports.

[@gridirongodsNetwork]

"I ask other coaches to get on board, to use their platform and their voice for the student-athletes - not just football players, all student-athletes - to be sharing in this ever-increasing revenue..." Jim Harbaugh

[@TT79-]

What a disaster. I imagine schools dont have to pay for athletic scholarships anymore?

[@MMALifestyle1972]

Athletic scholarships weren't just based on athletics, they're also based off academics so they're still going to carry academic scholarships then they'll have to carry the athletic ones as well.

[@TT79-]

@@MMALifestyle1972 As far as this is concerned (NCAA Football) Its the breadwinner for every big college period. If you are saying that the colleges cant cancel scholarships for football because some of them are academic, its bs. If ANY of these schools followed hard academic rules for their football players, everyone knows what these teams would look like. Some players in the NFL cant even speak proper english or read.

[@ReoBandss]

Paying people for work they do is a disaster, huh?

[@jersey00scraps]

​@@TT79- you is a jealous goofy boy lmao

[@TT79-]

@@ReoBandss What work? Its a school. And if any of these schools followed very strict academic rules for their football players everyone knows what the league would look like. Thats their gift to them.

[@sammitchelle307]

Only if the was around when my brother and sister were playing D1 ball, they wouldve been millionaires!

[@sladwig4094]

Give me a break. Players have been paid for years.

[@kman484ify]

This may sound crazy bt I think there should be a ncaapa(NCAA players Association if you don’t know what I mean) the problem is I believe finding college players who are a part of every single sport and have the time to even do it, but I think in order for the NCAA to even continue surviving. You gotta have a players association you gotta have somebody who’s willing to advocate for the players I don’t think that college has that right now.