At long last, we now know.

South Dakota State has officially "opted in" to the NCAA-House Settlement deal that allows schools to directly pay athletes by sharing revenue the athletic department makes. The announcement comes three days before the deadline to opt in, and 10 days after rival South Dakota announced it was "in."

In a 48-minute interview on Friday morning shortly before SDSU issued a statement to notify the media and public of its decision, SDSU athletic director Justin Sell joined Happy Hour host and Sioux Falls Live sports editor Matt Zimmer to explain why he and other top campus officials reversed their prior public stance of leaning toward not opting in.

Sell also explained how this decision will affect Jackrabbit athletes immediately and in the long-term, and what it means for the school's donors, particularly the high-impact sponsors. 

How much revenue will there be to share? Which athletes will receive revenue sharing money? How will this affect the number of scholarships and roster spots SDSU will have for all sports? How will NIL now work? 

In particular, how will this impact an SDSU football team that has won two national championships and continued to set attendance records at Dana J. Dykhouse Staidum over the last few years, establishing itself as one of the most successful and stable programs in the nation at the FCS level and driving record revenue for the rest of the entire athletic department?

Will women's sports and Olympic sports be as harmed as they already have been and are expected to be in the highest levels of Division I sports because of this settlement?

Oh, and how much was this decision influenced by other peer schools — particularly USD — deciding to opt in? How much was it influenced by preventing a perception that SDSU, had it not opted in, wouldn't be as financially supportive of athletes of schools that opted in?

As always, Sell is thorough in his answers.