With NCAA settlement pending, Power Four conference stakeholders lobby lawmakers on Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON (AP) — While a federal judge considers whether to approve a massive NCAA settlement that would pay athletes over $2 billion and pave the way for even more spending, a large group of industry officials returned to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to lobby lawmakers on legislation to land some antitrust protection for some of the final vestiges of college athletics' amateurism model.

Commissioners of the Power Four conferences, dozens of athletic directors from the SEC, ACC, Big Ten and Big 12, and even some coaches and players spent hours meeting with members of Congress. There was no firm conclusion to the talks, but multiple stakeholders involved came out of them with positive takeaways.

“We had great dialogue throughout the day, so I’m very optimistic we can get there,” Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said. “The common denominator on the Hill is that everyone has a great passion for collegiate athletics. They want to see something that’s sustainable moving forward."

A federal judge held a final hearing Monday on the settlement of a $2.8 billion class-action antitrust lawsuit filed by athletes against the NCAA and its largest conferences, which was approved by the defendants and plaintiffs in May 2024. U.S. Judge Claudia Wilken must give full approval before the terms can go into effect as soon as July 1.

“I think that was a piece of being able to go back to our elected officials and say that we’re trying to do our part,” Louisville athletic director Josh Heird said. “We’re going to ante up and pay $2.8 billion in back damages. We’re going to find a way to fund this $20.5 million revenue sharing. And so with that, in order to get to that goal line, now we need some help from our elected officials.”

Among those who took part were Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian, Auburn men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl fresh off a March Madness trip to the Final Four and Vanderbilt women's basketball coach Shea Ralph.

Discussions revolved around some antitrust protection, standardizing rules nationwide for name, image and likeness (NIL) payments, the transfer portal and whether college athletes should be considered employees.

“What are the downstream problems in addition to the notion that there’s just benefits or a set of hurdles to have to be overcome?” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said. "We’ve educated, I think, effectively members of the House and Senate, and we need to keep pushing and to do that with our universities is much healthier than simply doing that as commissioners and doing so in a coordinated way across the four conferences.”

Yormark said the current volume of player movement through the transfer portal is “unsustainable” and cautioned that lawmakers should step up sooner than later to calm that chaos and create national standards.

“Everyone knows there’s a sense of urgency,” Yormark said. "Time is not on our side, so we have to move quickly and swiftly.”

AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports

College soccer player Lexi Drumm leaves federal court during a hearing for a landmark $2.8 billion settlement impacting NCAA college athletics on Monday, April 7, 2025, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Houston's L.J. Cryer (4) shoots as Florida's Rueben Chinyelu (9) defends during the second half in the national championship at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Monday, April 7, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

A logo guide and paint tray are seen as workers prepare this year's court for the Final Four in the men’s NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 16, 2025, in San Marcos, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

The Commissioners of the NCAA's power four conferences, SEC's Greg Sankey, ACC's Jim Phillips, Big 12's Brett Yormark and Big Ten's Tony Petitti speak with ESPN's Roddy Jones, left, and Dana Boyle, right, at the College Sports Day on Capitol Hill reception in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, after they lobbied lawmakers earlier in the day for legislation to standardize name, image and likeness and other rules. (AP Photo/Stephen Whyno )

ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Muslim pilgrims from around the world congregated on Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the second official day of the annual Islamic pilgrimage, considered the pinnacle of the Hajj.

Despite the sweltering heat, the pilgrims gathered on the rocky hill and surrounding plain for intense prayers and worship that often mark a spiritual peak for them. They fervently murmured prayers and poured their hearts out in supplications. Many raised their hands in worship. It is common for pilgrims on that day, some with tears streaming down their faces, to ask God for forgiveness, mercy, blessings and good health.

The Hajj, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is required once in a lifetime for every Muslim who can afford it and is physically able to perform it.

For pilgrims, the Hajj, performed over several days, can be a deeply moving spiritual experience and a chance to seek God’s forgiveness and the erasure of past sins. As they brave the intense heat to perform religious rituals, many pilgrims have been using umbrellas for shade.

A Saudi official said on Friday that more than 1.5 million pilgrims have arrived in the country from abroad.

This year, Muslims have been pouring into Saudi Arabia for the Hajj against the backdrop of a tenuous ceasefire in the Iran war and related uncertainty in the region.

The U.S. military said Monday that it carried out “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats used to lay mines, even as President Donald Trump said on social media that negotiations with Tehran were “proceeding nicely." Iran on Tuesday denounced the most recent U.S. strikes as a sign of “bad faith and unreliability” as negotiations pressed on toward a possible deal to end the war.

For many, performing the Hajj can be a realization of a lifelong dream as they spend years hoping and praying to one day be able to undertake the pilgrimage or saving up money and waiting for a permit to embark on the trip.

“This happens once in a lifetime,” Mohammad Asal, an Egyptian pilgrim, said. “People here have prepared their prayers, hoping that God will respond to them, because we know that ... the most important ritual of the Hajj is being in Arafat.”

The Hajj brings together large numbers of Muslims of diverse races, ethnicities, languages and socioeconomic classes, creating a sense of unity for many. It’s a mass, communal experience, with Muslims performing rituals together. But it is also deeply personal, as every pilgrim brings their own yearnings and experiences.

“It was incredible,” Ahmed Sufyan, a pilgrim from the United States, said on Tuesday. “The unity and peace that we feel is something I’ve never experienced before,” he added via WhatsApp.

“Our wishes are many,” Mohammad Obaid, a Sudanese pilgrim, said, adding he was praying for Sudan and Muslims everywhere.

Fam reported from Winter Park, Florida.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

A Muslim pilgrim pray atop of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims walk towards the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims are silhouetted as they pray at top of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims pray at top of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims read a copy of Islam's holy book Quran atop of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)