EA Sports to pay eligible student-athletes for their NIL in the re-launch of its popular college football game
Eligible FBS players will receive a $600 stipend and a copy of the game in exchange for their name, image, and likeness in a new move from the gaming giant
The return of EA Sports’ College Football ‘25 has gamers excited — but a new move by the gaming giant should have the athletes depicted in the game excited too.
According to reports, $600 and copy of the game awaits student-athletes who opt-in to be a part of the rerelease.
Players will need to apply for opt-in contracts from EA via their university email address and be a member of their team’s active roster before April 30 to receive the stipend and appear in the game — a first payout of its kind from a game that has been paused since 2013, with the last installment being EA Sports’ NCAA Football 14.
Several lawsuits have been filed throughout that decadelong wait by players over not being compensated by the company for the use of name, image and likeness, which has grown exponentially since the NCAA approved that athletes can be compensated for the use of their NIL rights in 2021.
Sean O’Brien, vice president of business development at EA Sports told ESPN that the company was “proud” that this new endeavor to pay student-athletes will be the “largest program and likely the highest-spending program” of its kind and that it will create “an inclusive opportunity with an equitable distribution of funds across the board.”
The game, while not attached to an official release date, has been pointed to being released this summer.