For the first time, schools will be allowed to pay their athletes directly after a multibillion-dollar legal settlement was approved Friday night, ushering in a new era of college sports.

The House settlement , an agreement in three federal antitrust lawsuits against the NCAA and the four power conferences, was approved by Judge Claudia Wilken, letting schools pay players and creating an enforcement entity for the new system.

Beginning July 1, LSU and other major athletic programs nationwide will begin paying athletes on top of their scholarships as college sports turns into a more professional model rather than one long defined by amateurism.

Players still can earn additional money through third-party name, image and likeness deals. But with a new clearinghouse managed by Deloitte

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