Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman told media in a roundtable conversation that he agrees with the decision to settle the House vs. NCAA case.

Now, the next step? Find the money for the anticipated revenue-sharing to come.

Whitman’s comments were reported by wcia.com, among other outlets.

Whitman, the former Illinois product and NFL player who has served as the school’s athletic director since 2016, said the school expects to share with its student-athletes the full amount allowed under the settlement, which is expected to be $22 million, or a figured capped at 22% of the average major conference school’s primary revenues.

The settlement must still be approved by a federal judge but the contours are agreed upon.

Whitman said that for Illinois to be able to compete at the highest level that it had to make that investment in revenue-sharing. There’s just one problem at the moment.

“We don’t have $22 million so we’re unturning every stone to make that happen,” Whitman said.

Other Big Ten schools are in the process of figuring this out.

Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen has already told boosters that the department has set aside $20 million for revenue sharing, which would start with the 2025-26 athletic year.

Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle is working with his staff to start that budgeting process.

New Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork recently said the Buckeyes will share the max and they’re working on their budget

Whitman said the money will primarily come from television revenue, sponsorship money and ticket sales.

In that respect the Illini are at an advantage. The Big Ten TV deals will pay the league $8 billion over the next seven years. Illinois football attendance was up 15% last season. Whitman also said that their intention is to share revenue whether they have the support of the university or not.

Plus, he anticipates that Illinois will have to surrender $1.2 million in back damage money as part of the House settlement. He also sees football and men’s basketball as the primary beneficiaries of revenue sharing, though Title IX restrictions may influence that.

He also cautioned that what’s happening now may not be anywhere close to where major college athletics ends up.

“We’re living in one the most intense periods of change in college athletics. Everything that has happened (NIL, portal, sports gambling, etc.) to date will be a footnote to where this thing will ultimately go,” Whitman said.  

With reports of live cicadas winding down and sightings of the dead insects on the increase, many people wonder what’s coming next. Here’s what to expect.

When do the cicadas go away?

The remaining periodical cicadas out now should be gone by late June. Periodical cicadas are among the longest-lived insects on the planet, but most of their 13- or 17-year lifespan is spent underground. After emerging, singing and reproducing, the adults don’t live long. After about a month, the cicadas begin to die.

Their departure can be memorable. In 1990, there were reports of people in Chicago using snow shovels to clear sidewalks of dead cicadas, which have a noticeable odor.

More: Is your dog eating cicadas? Here’s why you should be worried about it

Do cicadas come out every year?

Some cicadas do show up every year. Annual — or dog-day — cicadas emerge during the heat of summer, usually around July, said Kacie Athey, a specialty crops entomologist with the University of Illinois Extension.

The periodical cicadas that are dying off now were part of a historic dual emergence of two particular broods, an event that hadn’t occurred since 1803 and made Illinois the center of attention for cicada watchers. In some years, no periodical cicadas emerge. After 2024, Brood XIII and Brood XIX cicadas won’t sync up their emergences again until the year 2245.

More: What animals eat cicadas?

Do cicadas have a purpose?

Cicada nymphs aerate the soil. The emergent adults prune mature trees and provide an abundant source of food for wildlife — and some humans. After they die, cicadas’ bodies provide a source of nitrogen for growing trees. CicadaMania.com breaks down the bugs’ many benefits.