Proposed settlement could cost NCAA nearly $3 billion

The NCAA and major college conferences are considering a possible settlement of an antitrust lawsuit that could cost them billions in damages and force schools to share athletics-related revenue with their athletes.

But even if college sports leaders create a new, more professional model for collegiate athletics they likely would need help from Congress if athletes are not classified as employees.

Two people familiar with settlement discussions related to House vs. the NCAA told the AP on Friday the association could pay out $2.9 billion in damages over 10 years to resolve the class-action lawsuit — which is set to go to trial in January.

Schools in the Big Ten, Big 12, Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference could be on the hook for about $30 million per year, which would include about $20 million annually directed to their athletes.

The people spoke on condition of anonymity because settlement negotiations were not being made public, and emphasized a deal is far from finalized. Conditions of an agreement still must be approved by the NCAA board of governors and the presidential boards of each of the four conferences.

U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken, who already has ruled on several high-profile antitrust cases against the NCAA in the Northern District of California, ordered the sides to attempt to settle the case months ago.

A more developed plan emerged from a meeting of NCAA and conference officials in Dallas last week.

ACC ordered to disclose contracts

A South Carolina court has ordered the Atlantic Coast Conference to turn over documents about its agreements with ESPN that Clemson has requested in its lawsuit against the conference.

The interim confidentiality order said the ACC has seven days to produce unredacted documents about its TV deal.

The order bars Clemson, a public university, from complying with any Freedom of Information Act requests unless the

ACC gives written permission or if forced to do so by another court with “competent jurisdiction.”

Clemson sued the ACC in March, claiming the ACC’s $140 million exit fee is “unconscionably high” and “unenforceable.” NHL: Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over host Nashville on Friday in Game 6. Vancouver will play Edmonton in the second round.

NBA: Paolo Banchero scored 10 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, helping the host Magic overcome Donovan Mitchell’s 50 points and hold off Cleveland 103-96 Friday night to force a decisive Game 7 in their firstround NBA playoff series. MLB: Two-time All-Star Walker Buehler returns to the mound for the Dodgers nearly two years following Tommy John surgery when he starts Monday against Miami. Tennis: German tennis legend Boris Becker was discharged from bankruptcy court in London after a judge found he had done “all that he reasonably could do” to repay creditors tens of millions of pounds.