AAC first to set minimum to share with athletes
The American Athletic Conference will require each member except Army and Navy to provide athletes with at least $10 million in additional benefits over the next three years, making it the only league so far to set a minimum standard with revenue sharing expected to begin in Division I sports in July.
AAC presidents approved the plan last week after they reviewed a college sports consulting firm’s study of the conference’s financial wherewithal. The three-year plan will go into effect once a federal judge approves the $2.8 billion House vs. NCAA antitrust settlement, which is expected next month.
Commissioner Tim Pernetti said Wednesday that 13 of the 15 AAC schools would opt in to the House settlement, which, among other things, provides for payments to athletes of up to $20.5 million per school the first year. Army and Navy are excluded because they do not offer athletic scholarships and their athletes cannot accept name, image and likeness money.
“For the conference, stepping forward and saying we’re not only opting in but here’s what we’re going to do at a minimum signifies the serious nature and our commitment to not only delivering a great experience for student-athletes but to success,” Pernetti said.
Officials from the Big East, Big Ten, Big 12 and Southeastern Conference told The Associated Press that each of their schools will be free to decide their level of revenue sharing. Power-conference schools generate the most television revenue and most are expected to fund the full $20.5 million or close to it.
The AAC plan, first reported by Yahoo Sports, would allow each school to set its own pace to hit the $10 million total by 2027-28. For example, a school could share $2 million the first year, $3 million the second and $5 million the third.
The AAC considers new scholarships, payments for academic-related expenses and direct payments as added benefits. Each school, with some limits, generally can apportion those as it sees fit.
“We wanted to provide flexibility for everyone to get to the number however it makes the most sense to them,” Pernetti said. “What I expect is it’ll be a variety of different approaches. I’m pretty certain many of the institutions are going to exceed [$10 million] in year one.”
Failure to reach $10 million over three years could jeopardize a school’s membership, but Pernetti said there will be annual reviews of the policy.
“All our universities made the decision a long time ago to deliver athletics and this experience at the highest level,” Pernetti said. “To me, this isn’t about revisiting that. This is about making sure we’re setting ourselves up for success in the future.”
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Kristen Shilton
The Vancouver Canucks have come to terms with forward Brock Boeser on a new seven-year contract, carrying a $7.25 million AAV.
Canucks GM Patrik Allvin announced the deal on Tuesday during the first hour of NHL free agency. Boeser, 28, was an unrestricted free agent on a previously expiring contract.
Drafted by Vancouver 23rd overall in the 2015 NHL draft, Boeser has collected 204 goals and 434 points in 554 games with the Canucks to date. A top-six scoring threat, Boeser has elite playmaking skills and the potential to produce big numbers offensively. He had his best year offensively in 2023-24, producing 40 goals and 73 points in 81 games.
Boeser didn’t hit those marks again last season — settling for 25 goals and 50 points in 75 games — but was still second amongst teammates in output. He also plays a prominent role on Vancouver’s power play and when he can generate opportunities at 5-on-5, he is a true difference-maker up front for the Canucks.
The extension is a happy ending for Vancouver and Boeser. When the regular season ended, Boeser admitted “it’s tough to say” whether he’d be back with the Canucks. Boeser reportedly turned down a previous five-year extension offer with the club and Allvin subsequently looked into deals for him at the March trade deadline, with no takers. Boeser looked — and sounded — poised to explore his options on the open market.
Ultimately, Boeser decided to stay put by committing the best years of his career to the Canucks.
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Ryan S. Clark
Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary signed a seven-year extension through the 2032-33 season that is worth $6 million annually, the team announced Tuesday.
Fehervary, who had one year of team control remaining, will enter the final season of a three-year bridge deal that will see him make $2.675 million before his new contract begins at the start of the 2026-27 season.
He finished the season with five goals and a career-high 25 points while logging 19 minutes. Fehervary also played a crucial role in the Capitals’ penalty kill by finishing with 245 short-handed minutes for a penalty kill that was fifth in the NHL with an 82% success rate.
Securing the 25-year-old Fehervary to a long-term deal means the Capitals now have seven players who have more than three years remaining on their current contracts.
It also means the Capitals front office has one less decision to make ahead of what is expected to be an active offseason in 2026 that will see the club have what PuckPedia projects to be $39.25 million in cap space.
That’s also the same offseason in which captain and NHL all-time leading goal scorer Alex Ovechkin‘s contract will come off their books along with that of defenseman John Carlson.
But until then, the Capitals have their entire top-six defensive unit under contract as they seek to improve upon a 2024-25 season that saw them finish atop the Metropolitan Division with 111 points before they lost in the Eastern Conference semifinal to the Carolina Hurricanes in five games.
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