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Female Athletes Challenge NCAA $2.7 Billion Settlement, Citing Title IX Concerns

By  |  June 12, 2025

Eight collegiate athletes have formally challenged a groundbreaking NCAA antitrust settlement, contending that the agreement fails to provide equitable compensation to female athletes. The appeal, filed on Wednesday, raises significant questions about gender equity in how the $2.7 billion in back pay will be distributed to athletes previously barred from profiting off their name, image, and likeness (NIL).

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    The settlement, which was given preliminary approval last week by U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken, marked a major shift in collegiate athletics by allowing direct payments from schools to players. This development effectively signals the end of the NCAA’s traditional amateurism model, according to AP News.

    However, the eight athletes — all of whom previously objected to the terms of the proposed deal — argue that the distribution of funds fails to comply with Title IX, the federal statute prohibiting sex-based discrimination in education. The group includes student-athletes from various sports: Kacie Breeding of Vanderbilt; Kate Johnson of Virginia; and Lexi Drumm, Emma Appleman, Emmie Wannemacher, Riley Hass, Savannah Baron, and Elizabeth Arnold, all of whom attend the College of Charleston.

    Read more: Congress Unveils Bipartisan College Sports Bills After NCAA Settlement

    Per AP News, the athletes’ legal team asserts that the current framework of the settlement disproportionately benefits male athletes and fails to account for systemic disparities in how male and female sports have been treated.

    Attorney Ashlyn Hare, representing the group, emphasized that the intent is not to obstruct a resolution but to ensure it is lawful and fair. “We support a settlement of the case, but not an inaccurate one that violates federal law. The calculation of past damages is based on an error that ignores Title IX and deprives female athletes of $1.1 billion,” Hare said. “Paying out the money as proposed would be a massive error that would cause irreparable harm to women’s sports.”

    As reported by AP News, the challenge adds a new layer of complexity to the NCAA’s evolving legal landscape, as it continues to grapple with the ramifications of NIL policy changes and increasing pressure to address historical inequities in college athletics.

    Source: AP News