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College athletes moved one significant step closer Monday to a future in which they can be paid directly by their schools.

Judge Claudia Wilken granted preliminary approval to the terms of an industry-changing antitrust settlement Monday morning, accepting a series of changes made by attorneys representing all Division I athletes, the NCAA and its Power Five conferences.

Wilken initially raised concerns that some elements of the settlement would limit future payments to players and fail to pass legal muster, but she wrote in her ruling this week that the court “will likely be able to approve the settlement as fair, reasonable and adequate.”

Wilken’s order also established a schedule for the remaining steps to finalize the deal. Any athletes impacted by the settlement will have until Jan. 31 to file objections or opt out. A final hearing to approve the deal is schedule for April 7, 2025 — coincidentally the same day as the men’s basketball championship game.

In May, attorneys for all parties agreed to settle a trio of antitrust lawsuits (House v. NCAA, Hubbard v. NCAA and Carter v. NCAA) that claimed the association’s rules are illegally restricting the earning potential of college athletes. The NCAA agreed to pay roughly $2.8 billion in damages to former and current college athletes.

The deal also eliminates the restrictions on schools directly paying their players which have long been a cornerstone of the NCAA’s amateurism rules. If the settlement is finalized, starting next year schools will be allowed to pay their players up to a certain limit. The cap is expected to start at slightly more than $20 million per school and increase on an annual basis.

“We are thrilled that we are one step closer to a revolutionary change in college sports that will allow NCAA athletes to share in billions of revenue,” said Steve Berman, co-lead counsel for the plaintiff class.

Berman and fellow plaintiff attorney Jeffrey Kessler will begin sharing more information about the details of the settlement with athletes at all Division I schools later this month. By December, all athletes who have competed in a Division I sport since 2016 will be able to receive an estimate of how much they could receive from the damages pool.

NCAA president Charlie Baker previously has said the settlement is a key step toward reshaping the economic model of college sports into one in which athletes can be paid without being considered employees. Baker said this summer that the NCAA would still need help from Congress to stop several pending legal challenges that claim college athletes should be considered employees of their schools.

“We are thrilled by Judge Wilken’s decision to give preliminary approval to the landmark settlement that will help bring stability and sustainability to college athletics while delivering increased benefits to student-athletes for years to come,” Baker said in a statement Monday.

“Today’s progress is a significant step in writing the next chapter for the future of college sports. We look forward to working with all of Division I, and especially student-athlete leadership groups to chart the path forward and drive historic change.”

Wilken granted preliminary approval to the terms of the deal despite objections raised about whether the settlement fairly allocated the damages. The plaintiffs estimate that roughly 90% of the $2.8 billion will go to football and men’s basketball players because broadcast rights for those sports generate the overwhelming majority of revenue in college sports.

Multiple groups told the judge they believed such an allotment would be unfair to women athletes and could be a violation of federal Title IX laws. As part of the settlement, athletes would have to agree to forgo their rights to file Title IX lawsuits about the disbursement of the damages.

Other objectors also raised concerns about a part of the deal that will allow the NCAA to place restrictions on a defined group of third-party boosters and the name, image and likeness deals they can strike with college athletes. The restrictions are designed to stop the current system of NIL-based collectives that use endorsement deals to attract and retain players to a specific team.

Removing collectives would place a more stringent cap on what each team is able to spend to build its roster.

Wilken said during a hearing for preliminary approval in early September that she thought the restriction on collectives might be considered an illegal restraint. She also indicated it would be difficult to define which third-party groups the NCAA could restrict. Plaintiffs’ attorneys submitted new language more narrowly defining the controversial term in late September.

The settlement is likely to face continued scrutiny from those who have already objected to some of the restrictions, including at least one group of athletes who field a separate antitrust lawsuit last November.

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Ex-LSU WR Lacy turns himself in, released on bail

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Ex-LSU WR Lacy turns himself in, released on bail

Former LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy, accused of causing a crash that killed a 78-year-old man on Dec. 17 and then fleeing the scene without rendering aid or calling authorities, turned himself in to authorities Sunday night, was jailed and then released on $151,000 bail, according to police records.

Lafourche (Louisiana) Parish Sheriff’s Office records indicate that Lacy was charged with negligent homicide, felony hit-and-run with death and reckless operation of a vehicle.

A warrant had been issued for Lacy’s arrest, and police on Friday said they had been in contact with Lacy and his attorney to turn himself in.

According to a news release from Louisiana State Police on Friday, Lacy was allegedly driving a 2023 Dodge Charger on Louisiana Highway 20 and “recklessly passed multiple vehicles at a high rate of speed by crossing the centerline and entering the northbound lane while in a designated no-passing zone.”

“As Lacy was illegally passing the other vehicles, the driver of a northbound pickup truck abruptly braked and swerved to the right to avoid a head-on collision with the approaching Dodge,” a Louisiana State Police news release said.

“Traveling behind the pickup was a 2017 Kia Cadenza whose driver swerved left to avoid the oncoming Dodge Charger. As the Kia Cadenza took evasive action to avoid impact with the Dodge, it crossed the centerline and collided head-on with a southbound 2017 Kia Sorento.”

Police alleged that Lacy, 24, drove around the crash scene and fled “without stopping to render aid, call emergency services, or report his involvement in the crash.”

Herman Hall, of Thibodaux, Louisiana, who was a passenger in the Kia Sorento, later died from injuries suffered in the crash, according to state police. Hall was 78.

The drivers of the Cadenza and Sorento also sustained moderate injuries, according to police.

Lacy’s agent, Rocky Arceneaux, said in a statement that his client is “fully cooperating with the authorities.”

Lacy played two seasons at Louisiana before transferring to LSU in 2022. This past season, he had 58 catches for 866 yards with nine touchdowns and declared for the NFL draft on Dec. 19, two days after the crash.

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach contributed to this report.

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Notre Dame LT Knapp ruled out for CFP title tilt

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Notre Dame LT Knapp ruled out for CFP title tilt

Notre Dame starting left tackle Anthonie Knapp will miss the Jan. 20 College Football Playoff National Championship game against Ohio State with a high ankle sprain, coach Marcus Freeman said Sunday.

Knapp suffered the injury in Notre Dame’s 27-24 Capital One Orange Bowl win against Penn State. Graduate senior Tosh Baker replaced Knapp in the second quarter.

Freeman also said starting right guard Rocco Spindler, who suffered an apparent ankle injury against Penn State, will try to practice this week. Charles Jagusah replaced Spindler against Penn State.

“We’ll see how he progresses the week of practice,” Freeman said. “I know he’ll give everything he has to make sure he’s prepared. As far as the starting lineup, we’ll do what’s best for our program. We’ve got to figure that out. We have a week of preparation to make sure we get the right guys to start this game, and we’ll see what that is here in the next couple of days.”

Freeman said running back Jeremiyah Love, who has been dealing with a right knee injury, is expected to be “full go” against Ohio State, but wide receiver Beaux Collins is still dealing with a calf strain that sidelined him for much of the Penn State game. Collins is second on the team in receptions with 37 for 458 yards, three touchdowns and 30.5 yards per game.

“J-Love is good to go,” Freeman said of his leading rusher. “Beaux’s still healing. … He’ll work back into practice here the next couple of days, but I hope that as long as he progresses, he’ll be good to go for the game. But we’ve got to make sure that he progresses as we go through this week.”

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Sawyer gets his ‘moment,’ sends OSU to CFP final

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Sawyer gets his 'moment,' sends OSU to CFP final

ARLINGTON, Texas — As the confetti fell around him, Jack Sawyer raised his arms, lifted his head and closed his eyes. As a boy growing up in a Columbus suburb playing catch with his dad in the backyard wearing a scarlet and gray jersey, Sawyer had often dreamed that one day he might become an Ohio State hero with an iconic moment that would go down in Buckeyes history.

On Friday night, playing against Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, that moment finally happened.

On fourth-and-goal with just over two minutes remaining, Texas needed one play to tie the score and potentially force overtime. Instead, Sawyer ended the Longhorns’ season and catapulted the Buckeyes to the CFP National Championship game, where they will face Notre Dame.

Sawyer screamed past right tackle Cameron Williams and sailed toward Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, his freshman-year roommate at Ohio State. As he crashed into Ewers’ back, the ball popped loose. Off one bounce, Sawyer scooped it up and raced 83 yards for a touchdown that won’t be forgotten in Columbus.

“I almost blacked out when I saw nothing but green grass ahead of me,” he said.

With that play, the Buckeyes defeated Texas 28-14. And Sawyer cemented an Ohio State legacy.

“To make a play like that in that moment. … You want to leave a legacy behind? You become a legend. He just became a legend at Ohio State,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day told ESPN on the field after the game.

The longing for just that moment is why Sawyer put off the NFL to come back for his senior season. After three losses to Michigan with no Big Ten championships or national titles, Sawyer and several other Ohio State seniors who could have been Day 1 or 2 NFL draft picks opted to return for “one last ride,” as he put it.

Their disappointing 2023 season ended with a deflating loss to Missouri in the same Cotton Bowl stadium. Sawyer said he just couldn’t stomach ending his Ohio State career that way.

“I wanted to go to the NFL and chase my dream more than the next guy,” Sawyer told ESPN over the summer. “But I haven’t won a championship. And you walk around the Woody [Hayes Athletic Center] and all you see is championships and championship posters and banners. Having not helped our team win any of those, it’s something that wears on me and it’s something that motivates me every day.”

Sawyer nearly had that moment six weeks ago. Yet, in a turn, what followed was a career low point for him and the Buckeyes.

He intercepted Michigan quarterback Davis Warren at the goal line midway through the fourth quarter. But with the score tied, the Buckeyes couldn’t capitalize on the turnover. On their ensuing possession, the Wolverines nailed a game-winning field goal for a stunning 13-10 victory, handing the Buckeyes — and Sawyer — their fourth straight loss in the series.

As Michigan’s players planted their flag at midfield of The Horseshoe, Sawyer charged in along with his teammates and ripped it away, leading to a melee that lasted five minutes and was finally broken up by police with pepper spray.

But with the expanded 12-team playoff, Ohio State’s seniors got one final chance to end their careers with hardware. With his scoop-and-score, Sawyer brought the Buckeyes within a game of winning their first national championship since 2014.

“The resiliency of this team from a month ago has been incredible,” said Sawyer, who became the first FBS player in a decade to produce multiple pass breakups and a sack in three straight games, according to ESPN Research, all coming during Ohio State’s playoff run. “We sat up here last year with a sore taste in our mouth and heard a lot of things. We come back and heard the same things a month ago. But we kept swinging.”

The underdog Longhorns kept swinging too.

After the Buckeyes took a 21-14 lead, Ewers led Texas all the way to the Ohio State 1-yard line. But on second-and-goal, safety Lathan Ransom dropped Texas running back Quintrevion Wisner for a 7-yard loss on a risky sweep.

“We had a plan to try to get the ball on the edge,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “It’s one of those plays if you block it all right, you get in the end zone — and we didn’t.”

After an incompletion, Texas faced fourth-and-goal from the 8. Ewers, who began his career at Ohio State before transferring to Texas after one season, said he thought he had time to get off the pass. But his onetime roommate got to him before he could.

“Obviously, it’s not like I tried to give him the game,” Ewers said. “He is a great player, great individual, great person. … It sucks, but Jack’s a good player and he made a great play.”

Sawyer’s fumble recovery was the longest in CFP and Cotton Bowl history. As Ohio State quarterback Will Howard took a knee, Day jumped into Sawyer’s arms.

“I don’t know if there’s a guy … who loves being a Buckeye more,” Day said. “This is somebody … who has always wanted to be a Buckeye, who has always wanted for a moment like this. So to see him get the moment that he had today — I mean, he’s become like family to me.”

Day and Sawyer both cautioned that their last ride together isn’t over quite yet. They have one game left and a national title still to win. But they also both acknowledged the magnitude of the moment. And Sawyer’s looming place in Ohio State history.

“I love Columbus, I love the state of Ohio, I love Ohio State football,” Sawyer said. “And I’m so fortunate to be playing in the national championship my last year here.”

ESPN’s Dave Wilson contributed to this report.

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