By Mike Scarcella
(Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department on Friday questioned the fairness of a private $2.8 billion settlement with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, suggesting it might not go far enough to compensate student athletes.
The Biden administration expressed its views in a filing in the federal court in Oakland, California, where the NCAA has been mired in class action litigation with students for years.
The settlement, which requires court approval, would be among the largest-ever recoveries in a class action and allows NCAA member schools to make payments directly to student athletes for the first time.
In addition to the $2.8 billion settlement fund, academic institutions are expected to pay out some $20 billion over the next decade under the terms of the deal.
Justice Department antitrust officials said in their filing that they were concerned about a provision of the 10-year settlement that caps money…
