Report: EA/NCAA lawsuit to yield average payout of $1,200
This story has been updated with a new average payout figure.
The lawsuit against EA Sports is reportedly going to pay a bunch of former athletes a decent chunk of change.
According to ESPN’s Darren Rovell, the average payout for those who made claims against EA Sports for using their names and likenesses in video games — and that number is more than 29,000 college football and college basketball athletes — will be around $1,600 (was originally reported as $1,200).
Avg college player used in EA's NCAA games will receive around $1,200 after lawyers get paid.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) March 15, 2016
The door for these payouts was opened by former UCLA basketball player Ed O’Bannon and others, who filed an anti-trust lawsuit against the NCAA, which hadn’t allowed athletes to receive revenue for the sale of their names, images and likenesses in video games.
A federal judge ruled in favor of O’Bannon and the others, and a combined $60 million settlement was approved by the judge in July.
According to Sports Illustrated, a point system determines the amount that a player can receive. That system includes multiple factors, such as if a player was on a roster in a game or had a photograph or jersey number matching their likeness.
USA Today’s Steve Berkowitz had reported in November that a lawyer associated with the case told the publication that some athletes could be compensated as much as $7,200.
As for whether EA Sports will re-continue the NCAA Football series, the latest update came in January.
We have no new plans or announcements to make regarding the EA SPORTS NCAA Football series.
— EA NCAA Football (@EANCAAFootball) January 11, 2016