College athletes may see a bigger financial reward after a judge ruled against the NCAA in a federal antitrust lawsuit.Nati Harnik/The Associated Press
A judge has ruled against the NCAA in a federal antitrust lawsuit, saying football and basketball players should be permitted to receive more compensation from schools but only if the benefits are tied to education.
The ruling Friday night from U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken in Oakland, California, said the NCAA cannot “limit compensation or benefits related to education.”
The plaintiffs in the so-called Alston cases were seeking much more. Plaintiffs had asked the judge to lift all NCAA caps on compensation and to allow schools to provide benefits beyond a scholarship to college athletes. The goal was to create a free market, where conferences set rules from compensating athletes.
The claim was against the NCAA and the 11 conferences that have competed in the highest level of college football.