Chris Beard reacts to House settlement decision, his role in changes

College sports officially entered a new era as Judge Claudia Wilken approved the landmark House v. NCAA settlement. Reactions continue to pour in, including from Ole Miss basketball coach Chris Beard.

Beard pointed out the way the landscape continues to shift as schools and programs adjust to the changes under the settlement. The revenue-sharing era is on its way as schools get ready to directly share up to $20.5 million with athletes, and roster limits will also change things in a major way.

As for the impact the House v. NCAA settlement will have on college basketball, Beard stressed the need for buy-in from across the country. From there, it comes down to programs putting themselves in the best position to succeed in the new world of college athletics.

“I think the structure has a lot of good ideas, and I think we all want what’s best for college basketball,” Beard told reporters. “I think it’s important as coaches and as players and as fans, as administrators, we all need to believe in it. Once they put it out there that this is the plan, then we’re going to support it 100%. I don’t think anything productive happens when the plan is set and everybody comes up with an opinion now. If you had that opinion, why didn’t you throw it out there on the front end?

“We’re eager to see what this model looks like, and then we’re going to do everything we can do within the rules to continue to elevate the Ole Miss program. I think that’s exactly what we’ve done here.”

Chris Beard: ‘This has been a real team effort’

Chris Beard specifically pointed to the support the Rebels receive from their primary NIL collective, The Grove Collective, as well as administration and fans. He praised the all-hands-on-deck effort now that the settlement’s implementation is underway.

Beard also noted the success of multiple programs at Ole Miss, from softball to baseball to women’s basketball, golf and volleyball. With the settlement’s approval, his role is to now lead success on the court.

“Again, I give the collective, the administration, the foundation and really, all the fans – from the major, major donor to the Ole Miss faithful that supports us on a monthly basis,” Beard said. “This has been a real team effort. I think you think about the success of Ole Miss, not just men’s basketball. Everything that went on. … Everybody is doing really cool stuff around here.

“And I think the common ingredient is the support. The support from our fan base, our donors, the collective. It’s been awesome around here. It never gets old saying thank you every chance I have a chance to speak, thanking everybody that is contributing any way. And our responsibility is to keep this thing going, and that’s what we’re going to do.”