AROUND NIL | Reggie Bush calls for direct athlete pay and unionization
- Apr 20, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Dec 22, 2025
April 21, 2025—The NCAA Division I Board flipped the script Monday, proposing to eliminate 153 longstanding rules and open the door for schools to pay athletes directly—NIL deals included—if the $2.8 billion House settlement clears court approval. The package includes removing scholarship caps, allowing schools to offer full or partial scholarships to all rostered players—expanding scholarship flexibility in golf with a new 9-player roster cap (replacing old 4.5-men/6-women scholarship limits)— while setting a $20.5 million annual payment cap for Power Four programs. The Ivy League has opted out, but the rest of Division I has until June 15 to opt in before the July 1 rollout.
April 21, 2025—Reggie Bush, who had his 2005 Heisman Trophy reinstated in April 2024 after forfeiting it due to NCAA sanctions, recently laid out his vision for college sports on KTLA. He praised NIL deals for giving athletes a “piece of the pie” but argued schools should pay players directly as employees, followed by unionization to allow collective bargaining. While supportive of the transfer portal’s athlete empowerment, Bush warned that excessive roster turnover could hurt development, emphasizing perseverance and competition.
Off the field, Bush is diving into golf fashion with a TravisMathew clothing line blending performance and style, launched Monday.
Reggie Bush tees it up at the LIV Golf Chicago Pro-Am Circuit as he pushes for college athletes to be treated as employees | Media Punch Inc./Alamy
April 23, 2025—U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken paused the House settlement Wednesday, calling for quick changes to roster limits that could affect current athletes’ spots. The deal, meant to let schools share revenue directly with players, now depends on adding protections like grandfathering existing athletes. Negotiators have 14 days to come up with fixes. Wilken pointed to schools’ early roster cuts as the real cause of disruption, not her order. The NCAA and power conferences must strike a balance between cost-cutting and protecting players to keep the July 1 rollout on track.
April 24, 2025—University of Kentucky’s trustees just greenlit Champions Blue LLC, flipping the athletics department into a corporate entity—a first among major schools—to tackle the new era of athlete revenue-sharing and NIL pressures. With costs positioned to jump $50 million, the model lets Kentucky chase stadium upgrades, real estate ventures, and partnerships while keeping academic operations tax-exempt. It’s their game plan to stay ahead as player payouts and private cash reshape college sports.
