Val Ackerman: NCAA Football Video Game Return 'Unworkable' Amid New Image Rules

Despite new rules set to allow student-athletes to profit off their name and likeness, the NCAA Football video game series seems unlikely to make a return. 

Per The Athletic's Nicole Auerbach, Big East commissioner Val Ackerman explained that group licensing for things like video games and replica jerseys is "unworkable in college sports" because student-athletes aren't part of a union and don't have a bargaining unit. 

In the NCAA working group's report (h/t Dan Hope of Eleven Warriors), there is a chance at some point the video game could return, but nothing is imminent. 

"The divisions should continue to explore whether it is possible to support institutionally managed group licenses for athletically related activities," the report said.

The NCAA Board of Governors announced Wednesday its support for a rule change that will allow student-athletes to receive compensation from endorsements with outside parties, personal appearances and other business ventures. 

The rule will likely be approved in January and go into effect starting with the 2021-22 academic year. 

There have been past attempts by individual college teams to unionize, most notably Northwestern's football team in 2015. The National Labor Relations Board rejected the Wildcats' bid to form a union, citing competitive balance and the potential impact on NCAA rules. 

Donald Remy, the NCAA chief legal officer, said in 2014 that any attempt by student-athletes to form a union "undermines the purpose of college: an education."

EA Sports hasn't produced an NCAA Football video game since 2013 after settling a lawsuit brought by former players who were seeking payment for their likenesses being used in past iterations of the game.