Lawyers working on the $2.8 billion NCAA agreement suggested a big change on Wednesday about team sizes. They proposed that players who lost their spot could still play without counting towards the new limits, as long as they are eligible.

Because the court ordered them to create a new plan, the lawyers suggested in court documents that schools should make lists of all the players they removed before the settlement was approved. This number could be very large, possibly hundreds or even more.

These students, called "Designated Student-Athletes" in the new legal document, could be asked to come back and try to get a place on the team, but it's not certain. Or, they can choose to go to other schools.

Either way, those athletes won't count towards the new team size limits. These limits are part of the plan that was announced last autumn and first approved by Judge Claudia Wilken last October.

The plan would also give this special rule to high school players who were promised places that were later taken away. This rule would continue for as long as those players can play in college.

Wilken has agreed to the main parts of the deal. This means each school can give up to $20.5 million each year directly to their athletes. Also, over $2.7 billion in past money will go to players. These players said the NCAA and five biggest conferences unfairly stopped them from earning money from their name, image, and likeness.

The newest idea came after two weeks of quick work. Wilken had sent the lawyers for both sides back to talk again. He said the rules about how many players could be on the team were not acceptable in the plan.

The new plan will limit the number of players on a team instead of the number of scholarships. For example, football teams can have 105 players, and wrestling teams can have 30. Schools can give scholarships to all players, but this costs a lot. Because of this, many people think some players will not get scholarships or will only get some money for them.

Wilken showed support for the many players who lost their positions on teams as schools got ready to follow the agreement. Around twelve players shared their experiences at a meeting on April 7.

Wilken told the lawyers they must change the part of the deal the NCAA didn't want to change. The NCAA said changing it would cause more problems, but Wilken said they had to do it anyway. He warned that if they didn't make the change, the whole plan could be in danger.

The lawyers for the people who sued said they made the previous decision even better. They allowed schools to bring back players they had removed without it counting against their limit. Also, they made it possible to use this rule for a new school.

The people who started the case think these changes to the agreement are more than what the court asked for, according to their court paper.

The lawyers said it's not certain the athletes will get their places back on the team.

The defendants argued that the updated agreement confirms that schools and their sports departments still have the right to decide which athletes are on their teams. They stated that this was always true and will not change, even with limits on team size. The updates to the agreement make sure that athletes who lost or would have lost their place on a team because of the new limits will be in the same situation as if the limits had never been put in place. This means the limits do not affect them.

The judge will likely give people who oppose the plan a short time to submit new objections before she makes her final decision. Steve Berman, one of the main lawyers for those who brought the lawsuit, said earlier this week that he believes those who object to the plan will not be satisfied with the new proposal.

Time is running out for the NCAA and its member schools, which have many athletes on different sports teams. The agreement was planned to start on July 1, and football practice begins not long after that.