Ray v. NCAA Volunteer Coach Settlement

Plaintiffs allege that the NCAA and member schools agreed, in the form of an NCAA bylaw, to prohibit the payment of compensation or benefits to a category of coaches designated under NCAA Division I bylaws as “Volunteer Coaches.” Plaintiffs claim that this prohibition was an illegal wage fixing conspiracy. Class member include:

“All persons who, from March 17, 2019 to June 30, 2023, worked for an NCAA Division I sports program other than baseball in the position of “volunteer coach,” as designated by NCAA Bylaws.”

The Settlement

The NCAA and Plaintiffs agreed to settle the lawsuits for approximately $303 million. If the Settlement is approved, NCAA will pay $303,000,000 in cash across three equal payments over two calendar years to resolve all Class Members’ claims against NCAA and all Defendant Released Parties for the Released Claims. The Net Settlement Fund—which will consist of the total Settlement Fund less court-approved attorneys’ fees, costs, expenses, and service awards—will be divided among all Class Members who file timely and valid Claim Forms.

If your claim is valid, you will get a payment from the Net Settlement Fund. Your payment amount will depend on the school, sport, and year(s) in which you worked, the number of valid claims, the wages of the lowest paid coach on your team, the amount of court-approved deductions, and other factors. Valid claimants will receive a minimum $5,000 payment.

If you are a Class Member and do not exclude yourself, you are eligible to file a Claim Form to receive your share of money from the Net Settlement Fund. Claim Forms must be submitted no later than June 2, 2026.For more information, please reach out using the contact form below and include information about yourself, the school and sport you coached at, and the start and end date you coached.