A monumental shift in college athletics is on the horizon. As the long-anticipated House v. NCAA settlement approaches final approval, the very framework of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) governance is undergoing a dramatic realignment. And in a move that underscores the significance of this moment, NCAA President Charlie Baker has signaled a stunning reversal in the organization's historic role.

For over a century, the NCAA wielded the concept of “amateurism” as its defining principle—using it to restrict athlete compensation and preserve what it claimed was the integrity of college sports. But now, just four years after NIL rights were finally recognized, the NCAA appears to be abdicating its position as the enforcer of those rules entirely.

At a recent event, President Baker confirmed what many in the legal and athletic communities had suspected: the NCAA will no longer enforce NIL-related regulations. Instead, that responsibility will shift to the power conferences themselves.

According to Amanda Christovich of Front Office Sports, Baker explained that the power conferences plan to create a new governing entity, tentatively called the College Sports Commission. This independent body would oversee NIL cap management, establish third-party NIL rules, and set enforcement mechanisms under the expected court-ordered framework resulting from the House settlement.

“The point behind that was to have an entity that would see the cap management system and the third party NIL system. Have rules associated with both. Create enforcement parameters for violating those rules under the rubric that would be the theoretical injunction,” Baker stated.

This is more than a bureaucratic reshuffling. It is an existential shift for the NCAA—a public admission that it no longer has the authority, or the appetite, to regulate NIL. For those of us who have followed the legal battles and shifting legislative landscape, the signs were there. But to hear the NCAA's own president concede this—after decades of legal and political wrangling—marks the clearest turning point yet.

This moment raises critical legal questions:

• What enforcement authority will the new College Sports Commission actually have?

• Will the power conferences collaborate or compete, creating a patchwork of conflicting rules?

• How will athletes be protected in this decentralized enforcement model?

At Saluja Law, we have long advocated for athletes' rights and equitable compensation structures. The collapse of centralized NCAA NIL oversight, while long overdue, opens new doors—and new risks—for student-athletes, especially those outside the power conference bubble.

As we await the court's formal approval of the settlement, we will continue to monitor developments closely. The era of NCAA amateurism enforcement is ending. What rises in its place must be transparent, enforceable, and above all, fair to the athletes whose labor has always been the foundation of college sports.

For guidance on how these changes may affect your eligibility, NIL contracts, or regulatory compliance, contact Saluja Law. We're here to help navigate the new era of college athletics.