NCAA Agrees to Pay $208.7 Million Cost-of-Attendance Lawsuit: Details, Reaction

The NCAA has reached a settlement as part of a class-action lawsuit in which it will pay out $208.7 million to past and current student-athletes. 

Per the official release from the NCAA's official website, the fund must be approved by the court and will be paid out to scholarship athletes from 11 different conferences in Division I men's and women's basketball and Football Bowl Subdivision from the 2009-10 academic year to the current 2016-17 year.

Conferences and schools are not required to contribute any money as part of the settlement, which will be funded by various NCAA reserves. Athletes will receive compensation worth up to their total cost of attendance while at school.

Per Steve Berkowitz of USA Today, the average payout "will be nearly $6,800," and athletes eligible for a payment will be able to receive a check without filing a claim. 

"The payout amounts will be based on the number of years the athletes were on scholarship and on the difference between the value of the scholarship they received and the cost of attendance at their school at the time," Berkowitz wrote.

Current student-athletes with eligibility will be able to receive money without it impacting their eligibility.

The NCAA has been forced to pay out money to student-athletes in the past, most recently in 2015 when a judge approved a $60 million settlement (warning: NSFW language) for players to receive likeness-rights compensation for appearing in EA Sports' NCAA Football video game series.

However, in the NCAA's official release, it states the association and conferences "will continue to vigorously oppose the remaining portion of the lawsuit seeking pay for play" that has become a popular rallying cry for critics of the NCAA business practices. 

Part of the settlement money will also go to covering attorney fees for the student-athletes, in addition to its use as a cost-covering measure for student-athletes in the three sports.