On Monday, the National Collegiate Athletic Association announced that it has agreed to settle a lawsuit with former Division I college football and basketball players over the use of Electronic Arts Inc of the latter's likeness in video games produced by its Sports division, the Chicago Tribune reported. Proceeds from the $20 million settlement will be paid to the group of plaintiffs led by former Arizona State quarterback Sam Keller. Details of the settlement are reportedly being finalized, the paper said.
In a statement, NCAA chief legal officer Donald Remy said, "Consistent with the terms of a court-approved settlement, the NCAA will allow a blanket eligibility waiver for any currently enrolled student-athletes who receive funds connected with the settlement. In no event do we consider this settlement pay for athletics performance."
The paper said that if there was no settlement reached between the two parties, the case would have continued to go to trial in March next year.
Prior to the settlement, the Chicago Tribune said that an earlier settlement between EA Sports and the Collegiate Licensing Company had been reached with former collegiate athletes. That settlement, which is valued at $40 million, is awaiting approval from the court.
Remy added, "With the games no longer in production and the plaintiffs settling their claims with EA and the Collegiate Licensing Company, the NCAA viewed a settlement now as an appropriate opportunity to provide complete closure to the video game plaintiffs."
Remy also said that the "unique" video game settlement does not affect the sports organization's belief that it is operating its collegiate model in a lawful manner, which has been challenged in other lawsuits.
Another class of plaintiffs led by former University of California, Los Angeles basketball star Ed O'Bannon, went to trial on Monday in an Oakland, California court. Both of the cases allege that the images of the former Division I athletes had been used in video games and broadcasts without due compensation.
