'Hands tied': Athletes left in dark as NCAA settlement leaves murky future for non-revenue sports

The $2.8 billion NCAA settlement awaiting final approval from a federal judge is touted as a solution for thousands of athletes to finally get the money they deserve and provide some clarity to recruiting. For some, it's too late. Sophomore distance runner Jake Rimmel says he was one of five walk-ons cut from Virginia Tech's cross country team after Thanksgiving break. Rimmel decided to take a leave of absence and train independently while considering his next move – something that's proven easier said than done. "Everyone's got their hands tied right now, so there's just not many opportunities for me," Rimmel told the Associated Press. "I've just been having to bet on myself and trust the process. It's just been lonely. I've been at home training by myself and living with my family again. Thank God for my family and all, I appreciate them. It's still kind of lonely though, being out of the norm, not being at school and with my friends." Pending approval, the so-called House settlement will allow schools to share revenue with athletes directly for use of their name, image and likeness (NIL). That could secure generational wealth for some but not others, and replacing scholarship caps with roster limitations is expected to leave walk-ons, partial scholarship earners, non-revenue sport athletes and high school recruits at risk. There are deep concerns about the potential impact on sports that feed the U.S. Olympic teams. U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken told attorneys handling the settlement to come back to her with a plan soon to protect athletes currently or recently on rosters at schools across the country, a request seen as a way to soften the blow. What that looks like is anyone's guess for now, but thousands of athletes like Rimmel have no idea where they might be this fall or are in jeopardy of no longer playing college sports at all. And many athletes balancing school and their sport are unaware of what's at stake and have more questions than answers. Belmont track and field athlete Sabrina Ootsburg said everything she knows about the settlement is from personal research. "My school doesn't do a lot of education around it (the settlement). Every now and then, we'll be told, 'Hey, if you want to sign up to potentially get some money from this House settlement that's happening, you can do that,'" Ootsburg said. "It's almost like the education we're being given is optional to consume, even though it's limited." Oostburg is used to taking matters into her own hands, securing over 50 NIL deals by herself. She has contacted lawyers and asked for updates on the settlement, but she's not quite reassured. The chaotic nature of college athletics so obvious to the public is even worse for the athletes themselves. "Being a college athlete, it's so hard to stay up to date with what's happening every day because it's so constantly changing," she said. Smaller, non-revenue-generating programs don't often have a point person to navigate NIL deals or educate athletes. At Belmont, Ootsburg said, NIL-related responsibilities are managed by an already busy compliance office. "To take time to learn about what's happening is just so time-consuming, especially if you're not in that one percent or one of the football players where they have people dedicated to helping them stay up to date," she said. For now, thousands of athletes are trying to wrap up their spring semesters and many of them have league tournaments or even NCAA championship competition ahead before what many expect will be the final summer before college sports sees some of the most dramatic changes in history. For athletes like Rimmel, those changes are already here. Some of the others cut from the Virginia Tech program have given up on their dreams of collegiate running altogether. Rimmel hasn't given up completely; he spoke with his former coach recently, who said the Hokies' athletics department is still trying to figure out what's to come. "I'm still kind of hoping I might be able to find my way back there next fall," he said.