As expected, Temple announced Friday evening that it will opt into the House vs. NCAA Settlement, clearing the way for the university to share revenue with its student-athletes.
“This decision reflects the university’s commitment to athletics and our student athletes,” Athletic Director Arthur Johnson said in a press release. “The ability to share a pool of benefits directly with them not only enhances their experience while at Temple, but also sets our department up for success in the future.”
The House v. NCAA settlement is set for final approval on April 7, 2025 and will allow university athletic departments to extend benefits directly to student-athletes at the outset of the 2025-26 academic year. Student-athletes will still be able to monetize their name, image and likeness (NIL), both through direct NIL payments from their respective universities and through outside entities.
The settlement mandates that all NIL deals valued at $600 or more and not established through university channels must be reported to a third-party clearinghouse “to ensure compliance with market value standards,” per the release.
“In recent years, the landscape of intercollegiate athletics has evolved at a rapid pace, but one thing that has not changed is Temple University’s continued commitment to supporting our student-athletes, and the university opting in to the House v. NCAA settlement reflects that,” Temple President John Fry said Friday. “Our goal will always be to field an athletic program that puts our student-athletes first, and that consistently fields teams that compete for conference championships.”
Several Temple student-athletes have been receiving NIL payments since 2022, when the TUFF Fund NIL collective was launched on Aug. 30 of that year. They have also been eligible to receive cost-of-attendance stipends.
Former IMG Academy President and Rutgers Athletic Director Tim Pernetti set the tone early on in talking about a revenue-sharing floor for its member institutions since becoming the American Athletic Conference commissioner back in June. He talked to the Memphis Commercial Appeal about a “minimum investment level” back in November.
"Our conference will have a minimum investment level, to essentially be in the conference and all of these benefits," Pernetti told the Commercial Appeal. "We are forming our point of view on that.”
