NCAA settlement clears way for colleges to pay athletes; Gov. Stitt weighs in on NIL

A multi-billion-dollar legal settlement is approved in college athletics. The House v. NCAA deal marks the end of three federal lawsuits, all claiming the NCAA was limiting the profits of college athletes.

This major change means that colleges can directly pay players, a move that has become controversial within college athletics.

"We're supportive of NIL, we think players should be able to monetize their efforts for sure," said Gov. Kevin Stitt.

Name, image, and likeness—a concept that's been described as "the wild west" within the walls of the Oklahoma state capital.

"But in the effort to compete in the SEC and Big 12, I know we're trying to keep up with the Jones', so to speak, make sure we can attract the best players at OU and OSU and the different schools," said Stitt.

A settlement in House v. NCAA paves the way for colleges to directly pay players up to $20.5 million annually.

Stitt feels the state needs to ensure NIL acts as a contract.

"When people can just transfer at the drop of a hat, it's really disrupting to college athletics, and there needs to be some parameters around that," he said. "I know that the legislature would be happy to get that done, and so would I."

A concept that did not get done during this legislative session was legalizing sports betting. The governor's been pushing for a sports betting deal for years now, but says he's only on board with the free market approach.

"In my approach, the state was gonna make a lot of money, and I want to maximize that money," said Stitt. "Why don't we just set this up so that anybody who wants to apply for a license and wants to operate a sports book would have that ability?"

He hopes a final deal can be reached before his time at the Capitol comes to an end.

"I hope it's a free market approach, but I'm not just gonna pick winners and losers and set up a special deal for one special interest group," he said.

There were bills to legalize sports betting in both the House and Senate, but they were stalled this year. But those ideas could be revived in 2026.