$49.25 Million NCAA Settlement Reached in Baseball Coach Antitrust Lawsuit

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The NCAA has agreed to pay a $49.25 million settlement that, if approved by the court, will resolve a proposed class action lawsuit over an allegedly illegal rule that once prohibited Division 1 member schools from paying volunteer baseball coaches.

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The proposed settlement would compensate around 1,000 people who, under NCAA Division I Bylaw 11.7.6, served as a “volunteer coach” in college baseball at an NCAA Division I school from November 29, 2018 to July 1, 2023.

The plaintiffs filed a motion detailing the terms of the proposed agreement with the NCCA on March 24, 2025. It is now up to the court to determine whether to grant preliminary approval to the deal.

Covered individuals need only provide their taxpayer identification numbers to get an NCAA settlement payout, without the need to file a claim form, the motion says. Checks will be sent to each eligible class member’s last known address.

Class members will be able to update their address and select an electronic payment option through an official NCAA baseball coach settlement website, which has yet to be launched.

ClassAction.org will update this page if and when the official NCAA baseball coach settlement website goes live.

According to the motion, the $49.25 million settlement would amount to more than 90 percent of the class members’ alleged damages.

“That is a uniquely strong result by antitrust standards, and Plaintiffs ask that the Court grant preliminary approval of the proposed settlement so the process of getting money to these coaches can soon begin,” the motion states.

Related Reading: NCAA, Schools Agreed to Suppress Wages for ‘Volunteer’ Baseball Coaches, Class Action Alleges

Class action settlement payout amounts will be calculated based on the number of years each class member coached and the school for which they worked.

“On average, class members will receive close to $36,000 per year that they coached in the volunteer role,” the motion says. Those who coached for multiple years at larger schools could receive payouts reaching six figures.

Filed in November 2022, the antitrust lawsuit challenged an NCAA bylaw that allowed member schools to hire four baseball coaches, three of whom could be paid whatever compensation the free market would give them. The fourth “volunteer” coach could not be paid. The filing alleged the bylaw—which the NCAA repealed effective July 1, 2023—violated the Sherman Act by restricting competition in the labor market for college baseball coaches.

Did you know that some class action settlements require no proof to submit a claim? Check out the latest top class action settlements.