It is shorthand for a class action lawsuit brought against the NCAA which includes three separate cases (House, Hubbard, Carter).

The lawsuits sought backpay damages for athletes who could not profit off their Name, Image, and Likeness and allow for direct revenue sharing with student-athletes going forward. As part of the settlement:


• Athletes who competed from 2016 to 2021 will be eligible for backpay damages. That money, to be paid out over 10 years, will come from NCAA reserves and future NCAA revenues and will equate to an approximately $500,000 per year reduction in NCAA revenues paid to Villanova over that 10-year period.

• The NCAA rules that limited the number of scholarships available to student-athletes have been rescinded. Instead, the NCAA will limit team roster sizes but leave scholarship allocations up to the discretion of individual schools. Scholarship deregulation provides Villanova with the opportunity to more than double the number of scholarships offered under the current rules should the necessary resources become available to fund additional scholarships.

• The settlement agreement will significantly change the NCAA model by allowing institutions to directly share revenue with student-athletes up to an agreed-upon cap of $20.5M for 2025-26.

• Third-party NIL transactions involving student-athletes exceeding $600 must be disclosed and reviewed by an independent clearinghouse to ensure they fall within fair market value.

The most significant change from the settlement is that schools can now share revenue directly with student-athletes. Schools are permitted to share up to $20.5M directly with student-athletes, if the necessary revenue streams can be generated.

Most of that revenue sharing will be available to student-athletes involved in the most visible and highest revenue-generating sports—in Villanova’s case, Men’s and Women’s Basketball. The more revenue a school is able to generate, the more competitive it will be when it comes to recruiting and retaining student-athletes and ultimately competing for championships.

As much as things have changed in college athletics, one thing remains the same: recruiting and retaining talented student-athletes who fit the institution’s culture and mission—and who value hard work, academic excellence, and their community—remains of the utmost importance. Today, revenue sharing is a critical piece of that recruiting puzzle. Villanova’s ability to position itself as a national leader in revenue sharing will allow us to attract and retain the caliber of student-athletes needed to continue competing for championships.

Villanova is in the process of evaluating all existing revenue streams to ensure we are maximizing our available assets. Additionally, the Villanova Athletics Strategic Excellence (VASE) Fund has been created to support the new expenses created by the House settlement.

Gifts to the VASE Fund have the most direct impact on ensuring that our Men’s and Women’s Basketball programs will be able to continue to attract and retain top talent and compete for championships. The VASE Fund allows donors and fans to make contributions to Villanova that directly impact student-athletes. These contributions are considered direct gifts to the University and therefore are fully tax-deductible**Please consult your tax advisor.—a key change from past parameters of NIL support—and will help Villanova maximize student-athlete benefits and remain competitive for championships.

With the creation of the VASE Fund, Friends of Nova is no longer accepting gifts to support NIL and has shifted its focus to exclusive revenue-generating events, experiences, merchandise, perks, and engagements. Friends of Nova is Villanova University’s exclusive Name, Image, and Likeness marketing services, consulting, events, and engagements organization.

Villanova student-athletes will continue to be able to partner directly with businesses, individuals, and brands. The Wildcat Exchange provides a secure and compliant way to connect with student-athletes for permissible NIL deals and opportunities such as appearances, private lessons, endorsements, and social media promotions. Interested parties can learn more or register at Wildcat Exchange.

While schools with FBS level football may be able to generate more revenue, they are expected to allocate up to 75% of the approximately $20.5 million revenue-sharing cap to football student-athletes. In contrast, Villanova will be more focused on revenue sharing to Men’s and Women’s Basketball student-athletes.

Villanova’s ability to retain our position among college basketball’s elite is heavily dependent on our ability to significantly increase revenue streams (ticket sales, sponsorships, licensing, etc.) and through philanthropic support of VASE, which enables greater revenue sharing with our Men’s and Women’s Basketball student-athletes.

As the new structure places new and different fiscal demands on the department, individual sport giving will continue to be a priority. Villanova is committed to maintaining and enhancing the student-athlete experience for all student-athletes and will continue to rely on donor directed support to each of our 24 varsity sports. We encourage you to make a gift directly to the sport of your choice to be used to support the program’s operations and top priorities.

Yes! Gifts made to any athletics designation are gifts to the University and count as part of Espiritus Nova: The Campaign for Villanova University. If you are interested in making a pledge to athletics or adding athletics support to an existing pledge in support of the campaign, please contact the Villanova Athletic Fund at vaf@villanova.edu.

The Villanova Athletic Fund will award four points per $100 of philanthropic support contributed to the VASE Fund. Because priority points are most often used to access tickets or other benefits related to Men’s and Women’s Basketball, gifts to the VASE Fund will be awarded at our highest value due to the tremendous impact VASE gifts will have on those programs.