NCAA Wins Preliminary Approval of $303 Million Deal With Coaches

The NCAA got initial approval for a $303 million settlement with thousands of Division I volunteer coaches over claims that the sports organization’s rules illegally fixed their compensation at zero.

Judge William B. Shubb of the US District Court for the Eastern District of California on Tuesday granted the plaintiffs’ motion for preliminary approval of the deal, the amounts of which will be paid to class members determined by the “school, sport, and year in which he or she worked.”

The settlement, if given final approval, would compensate a class of approximately 7,718 coaches who worked for an NCAA Division I sports program other than baseball.

“The gross settlement amount of $303,000,000 represents over 100% of estimated damages to the class,” Shubb said in his order. “This is an exceptional result for the class and is comfortably within the range of percentage recoveries that California courts have found to be reasonable.”

The plaintiff coaches for sports including wresting and track and field sued in 2023, alleging that the NCAA violated Section 1 of the Sherman Act by enforcing a rule that prevented an entire category of coaches from receiving salaries and benefits.

The NCAA’s volunteer coach rule was repealed in 2023, but the unpaid coaches argued they were owed money for a job that required more than 40 hours of work each week, adding that they performed all or many of the same duties as paid coaches.

In a separate but similar case, the NCAA in September got final approval for a $49.3 million settlement in a suit brought by college baseball volunteer coaches.

Shubb set a final fairness hearing for May 11 to determine whether the proposed settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate.

The plaintiffs are represented by firms including Gustafson Gluek PLLC, Fairmark Partners LLP, and Kirby McInerney LLP. The NCAA is represented by Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP.

The case is Ray v. NCAA, E.D. Cal., No. 1:23-cv-00425, 1/6/26.