Radford opts in to NCAA settlement; athletics leaders say direct payments needed to remain competitive

Radford University announced an executive decision to opt in to the NCAA settlement that would allow the university to pay student‑athletes directly.

Robert Lambert, the university’s athletics director, told trustees that opting in would give Radford greater flexibility to support athletes and to compete with peer institutions that have already declared they will opt in. Lambert said opting in is important for recruiting and retention in sports where Radford competes closely with institutions that have already signaled they will participate. “When you look at the schools that are predominantly basketball dominated…opt[ing] into the settlement gives Radford the best chance to be competitive in an ever changing climate in division I athletics,” Lambert said.

Lambert described several operational impacts the settlement would produce: the NCAA’s proposed settlement would lead to a new distribution of damages and a different governance structure; scholarship caps would be replaced by roster limits; and Radford could reframe how scholarships and direct payments are administered. In the presentation Lambert estimated that the NCAA would withhold approximately $275,000 per year from Radford (as a share of the settlement structure described in the briefing) and noted the shifting landscape for mid‑majors and conference peers.

Coach Darius (head men’s basketball coach, name given in the transcript as Darius) told trustees that direct payments and locally managed donor structures can help with recruiting, retention and donor confidence. “Donors trust gifts given to schools more than a collective… when you do that, you eliminate donor fatigue,” he said, adding that creativity—banquets, guaranteed games, community events—can help fund athlete support within the university/foundation structure.

Lambert and coach Darius explained that current third‑party collectives have posed limits and costs to the program; the athletics staff said one third‑party collective the program has worked with has taken $2,000 per month from the collective funds tied to Radford’s athletes. Lambert and staff argued that institutional control of funds through the foundation would be more trustworthy for donors and more effective for retention.

Trustees moved to a closed session for consultation with legal counsel under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (cited in the meeting as section 2.2‑3711(a)(8)). After returning to open session, the president announced that the university is exercising executive authority to opt in to the NCAA settlement framework. Board counsel and trustees characterized that step as an executive action rather than an immediate formal board vote; one trustee asked whether an additional formal board action would be required and was told this was an executive action.

Why it matters: Opting in would allow Radford to pursue direct payment mechanisms and new fundraising approaches for athlete support, change scholarship/roster management, and align Radford with many conference and peer institutions that already intend to opt in. Lambert said roster counts may change and estimated a possible short‑term reduction of roughly 13–27 roster spots in initial adjustments, with the final roster picture depending on sport‑by‑sport choices.

Ending: The university signaled it will pursue implementation steps and continue legal and financial planning; administrators said further details on fundraising, foundation processes and roster management will be provided as plans are refined.