In his first extensive interview since a federal judge ruled that college athletes can share in the billions of dollars generated from broadcast and other media contracts, Ed O'Bannon said that he is satisfied with the gains made by athletes, even with the NCAA receiving the ability to cap compensation at $5,000 per year above the value of a full college scholarship.

The former UCLA star, whose name adorns the historic lawsuit, told ESPN and ABC News that the spending controls imposed by U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken on Friday could evolve as the leaders of college sports, and those challenging the existing rules, reshape the industry in the coming months and years.

"What we did is just a small amount of change," O'Bannon said. "This is just the tip of the iceberg. I think that a lot of change is going to happen. This is just the beginning."

But it was a significant start, nothing less than a rejection of the NCAA's amateurism model. The strongly worded decision by Wilken -- establishing that players have group rights in products that exploit their names, images and likenesses (NILs) -- is expected to bolster other efforts to give players more money and power within the college sports structure.

O'Bannon said he has no agenda other than to continue to provoke "change" that benefits athletes, both through educational and commercial benefits.

Wilken's ruling promoted a system that effectively compels schools who want to compete at the highest level of college football and men's basketball to offer cost-of-attendance scholarships, plus as much as $25,000 that would be drawn from NIL-related revenues but would be paid out after an athlete graduates or completes his NCAA eligibility.

"My biggest thing has been change," O'Bannon said. "These rules have been in place for a hundred years and there has been no change. Times have changed, the economy has changed, the players themselves have changed, the salaries of the coaches have changed. Everything has changed except for how a player is compensated. And whether [they're paid] while they're in school, or whether it's once their eligibility is up, that part of the game has to change."

Michael Hausfeld, co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs, said no decision has been made on whether to appeal the decision. But he and co-counsel Bill Isaacson expressed pleasure with the ruling, which beyond allowing them to recover their group's considerable fees from the five-year legal fight -- a total that could surpass $20 million -- could funnel significant funds to future players starting in 2016.