3 Things Learned from Mizzou AD Laird Veatch Following House Settlement

Since Laird Veatch took over the job as the University of Missouri's director of athletics in April 2024, the large focus of he and the athletics administration has been on preparing for the anticipated approval of the NCAA v. House settlement.

With Judge Claudia Wilken approving the settlement on June 6, the new era of college athletics is set to officially be ushered in on July 1. The anticipation stage is over for Veatch's staff, now it's time for the action.

The administration, just like each one over the country, will have to be flexible over the first few years of the new structure. But Veatch and his staff are meeting the unpredictable times with optimism.

Veatch spoke to the media Thursday regarding the administration's plans following the approval of the House settlement. Here's three things learned from his conference.

Closed Doors on Revenue Distrubition

The top two questions Veatch were asked both involved how the athletics administration plans to distribute the $20.5 million cap of revenue permitted to be shared with athletes. Each school decides what sports to share revenue with student athletes, and the percentage of the cap space shared with those sports.

Veatch again stated that the large majority of Missouri's cap will be devoted toward football and men's basketball. Other than that, he wasn't looking to show off Missouri's checkbook.

"I don't feel like we're in a position to share specific sports or specific details and amounts," Veatch said. "Until we're at a point where this process allows for that kind of transparency across the board with all sports, I just candidly don't see a competitive value for us to disclose those specifics."

Veatch did give some detail on the factors that went into deciding what slice of the pie sports involved in revenue sharing will receive.

“It was a lot of conversation," Veatch said. "We would come back to providing information to our leadership on campus, President, board, etc. But a lot of factors, a lot of data and input went into that. ... It took a lot of discussion and a lot of thought on a lot of levels, both in terms of the brand value that those student athletes provide to the institution, our competitive positions."

What's clear in Missouri's plan is the athletic administration is remaining committed to investing to women's sports, and also some olympics sports that have been lagging behind in investment.

“We have show that we're committed to our Olympic sports, inclusive of our female sports in that as well," Veatch said. "We're having some real success in some of those sports, as you've seen with volleyball, gymnastics and others. So, it was just an important part of that discussion."

That proven commitment was a significant factor in Missouri being able to hire established veteran Kellie Harper as the program's next women's basketball head coach in March.

“It's a big part because that's where we're at in athletics,” Harper said at her introductory press conference. “So I had to feel and know that the support was going to be there for women's basketball and support, not just in being here, in showing up, but support financially.”

Veatch has also recently recognized the need to invest in the baseball program, which has finished in the bottom three of the Southeastern Conference each year since NIL was legalized for college athletics.

"It's a challenge," Veatch said of the baseball program on April 29. "That is an incredibly competitive sport in this league and that is an area that we have not invested like we need to. "

Veatch says he could see there eventually being a time where it's either required of programs, or makes sense to disclose the specifics of the administration's investment plans for revenue sharing. Top athletic programs such as Ohio State and LSU have done so already.

Flexibility in Contracts

Veatch didn't want to use the word "simplified," but he does believe compensation agreements with student athletes are evolving with revenue sharing compared to the past four years with NIL.

"We are working with Every True Tiger brands (Missouri's NIL marketing agency), with our attorneys and our staff to really think through all those things and those contracts," Veatch said. "They're evolving and adjusting to reflect the latest standards within the house settlement.”

Having to skirt around the legal borders over the use of NIL over the last four years has put athletic programs in difficult situations when creating agreements with student athletes. Especially when it comes to roster retention. Many schools have already set revenue-sharing agreements in place with student athletes, which will go into effect beginning July 1.

With the House settlement, creating a multi-year agreements with student athletes is now an "option," according to Veatch. The application of those, along with other parts of the structure of deals, will vary by school.

“I think that's going to be a case-by-case basis, based on the school and how they want to approach it," Veatch said. "So I do think that that's going to be an important element, and can provide some balance and commitment consistency on both sides."

Steps Toward Stability

Fans, administrators and coaches alike are hoping the settlement will be the end of a four-year period of chaos set off since the legalization of NIL. Adjustments will still have to be made in the years to come, but Veatch does believe the new structure is an important step for the NCAA toward more stability.

“We are finally getting back to where we have real structure and real oversight," Veatch said. "We are getting the point where, as with revenue share.... we're going to get to a point where NIL deals do go through this NIL Go clearinghouse, and there'll be standards that have to be met."

Part of the uneasiness created over the last few years has been the uneven playing field created by the ambiguity of some NIL legislation. The hope is that the settlement will set some solid rules in place.

"I think it's good and healthy for everyone to get to a type of environment where we're all playing by the same rules and have some consistency there. I do think it gives us an opportunity to begin to stabilize college athletics."

Veatch believes athletic programs around the country will embrace the new model. Though Missouri head football coach Eli Drinkwitz has previously stated skepticism with revenue sharing being the cure-all for all of the issues in college athletics, coaches are seeing the possible opportunity and stability the new model could create.

"Even when you talk to coaches, particularly behind the scenes, they're tired of operating in the environment that we have been," Veatch said. "So I do think coaches in particular, just by their nature, they like to know what the rules are. They want to know what the rules of the game are. And they're going to continue to push and try to get a competitive advantage. But we have to get to a point where we're at least, operating from the same set of rules. And I believe we're all embracing that piece of it."