In the wake of the groundbreaking House vs. NCAA antitrust settlement approved on Friday, Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork said in a statement that the athletic program will fully fund its revenue-sharing program and will remain committed to providing scholarships for all 36 of its varsity sports teams.
“The signing of the House settlement Friday by Judge Claudia Wilken will reshape collegiate athletics,” the statement, which was released on Monday, read. “Ohio State and schools around the country will now be permitted to directly compensate student-athletes through revenue sharing, which is actually institutional NIL rights. The Department of Athletics will fully fund the revenue sharing program, which will total $20.5 million and includes funding for additional scholarships for both women’s and men’s sports.”
“We remain committed to maintaining the student-athlete model, offering 36 intercollegiate sports and providing scholarships to all 36,” Bjork added.
Bjork’s comments are consistent with what he has said regarding revenue sharing since he took over for Gene Smith as Ohio State’s athletic director last summer. He also talked in the past about ways to best manage and maximize NIL at the university, which they are attempting to do by the creation of Buckeye Sports Group. The group will work as a merger between Ohio State’s top NIL collectives, such as The Foundation and The 1870 Society, into one NIL management team working with athletics.
This, according to the university, will hope to “maximize brand value” and support, streamline and enhance” NIL opportunities for Buckeye athletes.
“Ohio State has always been a leader in college athletics, and this initiative is another step forward to build upon our strong NIL foundation,” Ohio State deputy athletic director Carey Hoyt said in the release. “By combining the power of our athletic brand with Learfield’s expansive network, we are creating an innovative, full-service approach to NIL that directly benefits our student-athletes.”
Bjork is likely to have a press conference on Thursday where he will likely offer more information on the matter.
