Michael Lowe and Cal Stein, partners with Troutman Pepper Locke, were quoted in the April 29, 2025 Bloomberg Law article, “NCAA Judge’s Settlement Demand Yields Advantage for Athletes.”

NCAA’s Next Move

Michael Lowe, a litigation partner with Troutman Pepper Locke, said he couldn’t imagine a scenario in which the NCAA doesn’t make a fix that satisfies the judge.

“She told them what she was thinking, they ignored it, and she basically stuck to her guns,” said Lowe, who represents a Division I conference that is not a party in the settlement litigation. “Now they have to come back with something if they want to have any chance of getting this approved.”

Cal Stein, also a litigation partner with Troutman Pepper Locke, said the judge is “very clearly signaling” there is a path forward to getting the deal approved.

She made clear that the use of roster limits is not a “per se” violation of antitrust, he said.

“It does not appear to me that she views these roster limits and the athletic spots that they’re going to take in the future as per se problematic,” Stein said. “Her problem is that it is not fair to the current class members.”