Update: What was previously a report has now been confirmed by the attorneys handling the legal suit against Electronic Arts and NCAA Football. Lead plaintiff attorney for the case Michael Hausfeld said, “This can be a historic settlement. This settlement represents an acknowledgment that the NCAA’s rules barring payment to current and previous players cannot stand.”

Electronic Arts has agreed to pay “thousands and thousands of bucks” to the athletes featured in current NCAA Football games, in addition to previously released NCAA games.

Original story:

Yesterday, we reported that EA has decided to halt its NCAA Football series and that the publisher and the Collegiate Licensing Company are settling a suit with former college athletes. The lawsuit stems from using player likenesses in EA’s college football titles.

According to the New York Times, the settlement is worth $40 million and may be used to compensate student-athletes. In keeping with the report, there isn’t a plan yet for the way to divide and distribute the funds.

[Source: Ny Times]

Our Take
The pressure is all at the NCAA immediately, as that organization is the sole defendant who hasn’t settled. Should that group lose in court, it might thoroughly imperil collegiate athletics as we all know them. There may be remuneration required for previous student-athletes, and it’ll likely mean a structure in place for college students moving forward.