Ohio State President Ted Carter supports House vs NCAA settlement, proposed revenue sharing

There is a lot of money sloshing around in college athletics, and during an appearance with the Columbus Metropolitan Club Wednesday, Ohio State President Ted Carter boiled down the issues that raises to two questions.

"(Is) student-athlete going to be a phrase anymore?" Carter asked. "Are they just going to be farm system professionals?"

In May, the Power Five conferences and the NCAA sought to settle a lawsuit by proposing to compensate current and former athletes who had not been able to be paid for use of their Name, Image and Likeness. The proposal also introduced a future revenue-sharing model that could take effect between schools like Ohio State and its athletes.

Carter said Ohio State "supported" the settlement, "not because I necessarily believe athletes should be paid like professionals, but I believe the alternative outcomes would be so much worse."

He called the current rules and regulations governing NIL the "wild, wild west."

"We are leading in a lot of these areas," Carter said. "But, you know, when you look at somebody getting more than $2 million as a five-star quarterback, you know, is that right when an offensive lineman might be getting $100,000 in NIL, if getting anything? Let alone talk about a lacrosse player, or pistol shooter or a synchronized swimmer. There's a fairness level to all this."

For college athletics as a whole, Carter said the most important thing is "we don't ever give up on the student-athlete concept." However, he also admitted much of NIL "is going to be market driven."

Photos:Look back at Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. U.S. Navy career

No matter the number of scholarships available in each of Ohio State's nation-leading 36 Division I sports, Carter maintained the value remains for playing sports and being a student athlete, having been a hockey player at the United States Naval Academy.

"What's that model going to look like when Ross (Bjork) has to figure out how to apportion $21 million starting in 2026?" Carter asked. "That's a rough number, don't hold me to that. By the way, that's going to go up to probably closer to $31 million in just a couple of years. And yeah, we're going to get more revenue from Big Ten media. Yes, we're going to do well because our fans come and support. But I guarantee you, at the end of the day, if we hold onto the idea of student-athletes, we'll still be able to recruit for all 36 of our sports even if we don't have scholarships."

Carter said Ohio State has been and will continue to be "a big voice in this conversation" surrounding NIL and revenue sharing, especially in the expanding Big Ten.

"It's going to be an exciting time," Carter said. "It's going to be a time of change. And we're going to have to be ready to lead in it."