Impressive, and congrats to all involved! The delayed enrollment portion of 09-22 indeed suspended for 2010-2011. Solid work from many constituents in order to maintain the crucial balance embedded in 09-22. Outstanding and inspired work from Amateurism Cabinet and Legislative Council (LGC) members. Also major kudos and congrats to the several coaches associations, compliance professionals, and many stakeholders who presented solid arguments and precedent/research-based data that would build a strong case for the LGC to agree on amending 09-22 and suspending the delayed enrollment portion. And a note of recognition to a group that rarely receives praise, but most frequently is chastised and criticized in popular media: the national office staff… Their efforts should be appreciated by all involved parties, in streamlining the legislative process, engaging in constant educational and communication outreach efforts, learning and teaching key constituents (and each other) in the membership’s usually mercurial course of policy-making. There are good, balanced, hard-working, highly motivated people in Indy right now, trying to maintain the extremely delicate balance between the Association’s principles and contemporary reality, which often just does not allow for maintaining the traditional principles this miracle of higher education and sport entailed from its creation through the 20th Century.
As always, a word of caution to keep the balance: this means that recruiting will be fierce this year (especially during what is left in the spring and summer recruiting periods with 2010 prospects who might have been untouchable until now but will be pursued even for this Aug enrollment) and going into the 2010-2011 season (with coaches further aspiring at recruiting-friendly amendments during the 10-11 legislative cycle). Hopefully coaches will remain constrained by their values and upholding the Association’s fundamental principles. If they do select to go the route of cut-throat intercollegiate athletics recruiting and competition in a take-no-prisoners industry, they may get their wishes fulfilled… On one hand, what most everyone agreed on, they will be able to recruit (pre-HS graduation) kids that will be immediately eligible even though they did play professionally, as long as the 12.02.4 provisions and expenses’ aspects analyzed below are in place. On the other hand, most remarkably, it will not even matter if currently recruited or now recruitable prospects graduated HS as early as the summer of 2006 (!) when they were 16, i.e. in the case of UK soccer SAs, and played pro/semi-pro for the past 4-5 seasons, but without going above and beyond actual and necessary expenses and abiding by 12.02.4 (worth here to put another plug-in to our mystery colleague at the Bylaw Blog for simply outstanding work, truly brilliant and insightful posts, for a creation that the world of Compliance and the industry needed for some time… keep the mystery and solid contributions going).
Shrewd coaches will start today, if not already, to look at such prospects, research their particular academic and amateurism conditions, encourage them to immediately register with the Eligibility Center, and we could be looking at an amazingly competitive recruiting and playing season in 2010-2011, and possibly beyond… This year’s gate might involve hard to control floods in ensuing years, even after a modified proposal on delayed enrollment and organized competition attempting to keep the balance between deregulation and upholding amateurism/institutional control/SA welfare/competitive equity principles in the 2010-2011 cycle.
So go crazy in what is left with this year’s recruiting period, find your athletically seasoned and hopefully academically prepared difference-makers, continue to provide the exquisite opportunities for young athletes to experience the true blessing that is higher education in the US, enjoy the process of building bridges between the worlds, have fun… and please recruit responsibly!
For a retrospect on Proposal 2009-22, refer to earlier entries here.
Next to the amateurism developments elaborated below, it is good to review the article on international student-athletes in the Fall edition of NCAA’s Champion Magazine here. Also interesting to peruse, a recent article on ESPN here, and a very recent one from SI here.
Proposal 2009-22 progress in 2010 and commentaryhere.
UPDATE III: As anticipated, Proposal 2009-22 was adopted (note: Prop. 2009-22 amendments vote tally; pp 4, 9, 10) last Thursday, January 14, 2010, by the DI Legislative Council, pending Board of Directors review. There were significant last minute amendments pertaining to the effective date for tennis SAs, now set for Aug. 1, 2011, and the exclusion of skiing from the scope of the proposal.
Prior to the Legislative Council’s voting sessions, there were some additional concerns expressed by stakeholder groups, such as the American Swimming Coaches Association (p.15; Skiing Committee’s position on pp 21-22), recommending defeat or exclusion from the scope of the proposal.
Congratulations to all involved in passing this important legislative piece. During the seven months leading to Aug. 1, 2010 (effective date but for tennis SAs), a broad and in-depth membership educational effort will be needed for coaches, compliance staff, and other athletics administrators to fully realize recruiting opportunities and prepare for new challenges in this evolving era. As elaborated below, more “difference-makers” will be within coaches’ recruiting plans, thus an expansive research effort and cooperation between all constituents will be necessary to retrieve good data and as much sport-specific, case-by-case, useful information as possible on, e.g. allowable actual and necessary expenses in each region and sport.
Many PSAs, especially international prospects, and their families will be relieved to read these lines, as will be the several coaches, compliance personnel, and athletic directors who observed SAs serving withholding conditions and sitting out games due to the fact they played at a high level of competition, albeit without compensation, contracts, or agents, rather due to their country of origin sport system structure. The “no more vicarious professionalization” message disseminated by the membership, through the Amateurism Cabinet, to the Legislative Council, Board of Directors, and back to the membership soon, needs to be greatly valued, and constantly monitored in regard to abuses and possible attempts to circumvent its spirit. Abuses may entail not disclosing important financial data pertaining to PSAs preenrollment participation on high level club teams, or even more alarmingly, not making an effort to investigate and document the true value of, e.g. an IPSAs preenrollment participation in a top-level league or event in their country and region of origin. That is, IPSAs may very well be within the coverage of Prop. 2009-22 by merely playing on the top professional competition in their country and continent, however they may also go beyond the threshold (see below) because they received above and beyond permissible expenses under Bylaw 12. Hence, consistent research by this Faculty group and collaboration between member institutions, conferences, Amateurism Certification and Eligibility Center staff, SAR and Enforcement staff, and hopefully international sport federations and regional sport governing bodies, will allow for a clearer picture in a currently murky plane for recruiting coaches, administrators, and most importantly PSAs and their families. Figures are going to be needed, and data-driven policy is best attained through research such as the one this Faculty-Industry collaborative introduced years ago as elaborated below. Such collaborative research and policy-drafting projects need to carry on the efforts for balanced and informed policy and continued expansion of opportunities at trying times for PSAs and families all over the globe, for the utility and benefit of all involved in a fair manner.
Coaches, you may now seek your “difference-makers”… and please behave.
(Pending Proposal Draft for Competition with Professionals and Definition of Professional Team, namely the reconsideration of withholding conditions for prospects who competed pre-enrollment on teams that featured professionals, but did not themselves receive above and beyond permissible expenses per Bylaw 12, as well as treatment of post-first-opportunity-to-enroll amateurism matters, will be posted herein as soon as it becomes available.Related Amateurism Cabinet Reports from February and June 2009 meetings are important to review.)
To amend Proposal No. 2008-79 to specify that, in men’s basketball, an enrolled student-athlete may enter a professional league’s draft one time during his collegiate career without jeopardizing eligibility in the sport, provided the student-athlete requests that his name be removed from the draft list and declares his intent to resume intercollegiate participation no later than the end of May 8 of the year in which the draft will occur; the student-athlete’s declaration of intent is submitted in writing to the institution’s director of athletics; and the student-athlete is not drafted.
Amend 12.2.4.2.1, as follows:
12.2.4.2.1 Exception — Professional Basketball Draft — Four-Year College Student-Athlete.
12.2.4.2.1.1 Men’s Basketball. In men’s basketball, an enrolled student-athlete may enter a professional league’s draft one time during his collegiate career without jeopardizing eligibility in that sport, provided:
(a) The student-athlete requests that his name be removed from the draft list and declares his intent to resume intercollegiate participation byno later than the end of May 8 of the day prior to the first day of the spring National Letter of Intent signing period for the applicable year in which the draft will occur;
(b) The student-athlete’s declaration of intent is submitted in writing to the institution’s director of athletics; and
(c) The student-athlete is not drafted.
12.2.4.2.1.2 Women’s Basketball. In women’s basketball, an enrolled student-athlete may enter a professional league’s draft one time during his or her collegiate career without jeopardizing eligibility in that sport, provided the student-athlete is not drafted by any team in that league and the student-athlete declares his or her intention to resume intercollegiate participation within 30 days after the draft. The student-athlete’s declaration of intent shall be in writing to the institution’s director of athletics.
Atlantic Coast Conference.
August 1, 2009
Amendment-to-Amendment
Amateurism
Concern has been expressed by some that the timeline provided in Proposal No. 2008-79 does not provide student-athletes with sufficient time to make informed decisions in the pursuit of a professional career. The NBA has recently changed its policies to permit its teams to conduct individual tryouts beginning in late April. In that regard, extending the deadline to May 8 is more appropriate and should provide a student-athlete sufficient time to gather information about his draft status. Further, it will also allow institutions time to make recruiting decisions and, if necessary, sign prospective student-athletes to financial aid agreements prior to the conclusion of the National Letter of Intent spring signing period.
None.
None.
Mar 16, 2009:
Submit; Submitted for consideration.
Apr 20, 2009:
Leg Council Init Review, Adopted; Pending Possible Board of Directors Review
Apr 30, 2009:
Adopted, Override Period; No Action Taken by the Board of Directors
May 01, 2009:
Adopted, Override Period; Start of Override Period
Jun 29, 2009:
Adopted, Override Period; End of Override Period; (Number of Override Requests = 3)
In men’s basketball, to specify that an enrolled student-athlete may enter a professional league’s draft one time during his collegiate career without jeopardizing eligibility in the sport, provided the student-athlete requests that his name be removed from the draft list and declares his intent to resume intercollegiate participation by the end of the day prior to the first day of the spring National Letter of Intent signing period for the applicable year; the student-athlete’s declaration of intent is submitted in writing to the institution’s director of athletics; and the student-athlete is not drafted.
Amend 12.2.4.2.1, as follows:
12.2.4.2.1 Exception — Basketball — Four-Year College Student-Athlete.
12.2.4.2.1.1 Men’s Basketball. In men’s basketball, an enrolled student-athlete may enter a professional league’s draft one time during his collegiate career without jeopardizing eligibility in that sport, provided:
(a) The student-athlete requests that his name be removed from the draft list and declares his intent to resume intercollegiate participation by the end of the day prior to the first day of the spring National Letter of Intent signing period for the applicable year;
(b) The student-athlete’s declaration of intent is submitted in writing to the institution’s director of athletics; and
(c) The student-athlete is not drafted.
12.2.4.2.1.2 Women’s Basketball. In women’s basketball,Anan enrolled student-athlete in basketball may enter a professional league’s draft one time during his or her collegiate career without jeopardizing eligibility in that sport, provided the student-athlete is not drafted by any team in that league and the student-athlete declares his or her intention to resume intercollegiate participation within 30 days after the draft. The student-athlete’s declaration of intent shall be in writing to the institution’s director of athletics.
NCAA Division I Board of Directors
August 1, 2009
Amendment
Amateurism
Currently, men’s basketball student-athletes have 30 days after the NBA draft to indicate their intent to return to intercollegiate participation. As a result, such student-athletes have a three month period between April and July during which to make a decision. Such an extended time period is intrusive on academic performance during the spring and increases the potential for outside individuals to have a negative influence on the well-being of student-athletes. Establishing a shorter time frame by which student-athletes must withdraw from the draft and declare their intent to resume intercollegiate participation will encourage student-athletes to refocus on academics sooner and lessen the potential for violations of NCAA rules that will jeopardize their amateur status. In addition, the proposed time frame will assist coaches in roster planning. The proposed deadline will still provide sufficient time for student-athletes to declare their draft intentions. Professional teams devote significant resources to in-season scouting and film evaluation and sufficient information regarding draft projections is available before the proposed deadline to assist student-athletes with making an informed decision regarding an early departure to pursue a professional career.
None.
None.
Amateurism Cabinet The cabinet expressed concern that the timeline provided in the proposal would not provide student-athletes with sufficient time to make an informed decision about their futures. The cabinet discussed whether an early- to mid-May deadline ( e.g., May 8 ) would be more appropriate as it would provide student-athletes more time to gather information about their draft status and would still allow institutions time to sign prospective student-athletes to athletics tenders prior to the conclusion of the National Letter of Intent spring signing period.
Oct 29, 2008:
Submit; Submitted for consideration.
Oct 30, 2008:
Board of Directors; Sponsored into the 2008-09 Legislative Cycle
Jan 15, 2009:
Leg Council Init Review, Forwarded for Membership Comment
Jan 18, 2009:
Comment Period; Start of Comment Period
Feb 20, 2009:
Amateurism Cabinet, No Formal Position
Mar 18, 2009:
Comment Period; End of Comment Period; (Official Comment Totals: Support = 4, Oppose = 6, Abstain = 1)
Apr 20, 2009:
Leg Council Final Review, Adopted; Pending Possible Board of Directors Review
Apr 30, 2009:
Adopted, Override Period; No Action Taken by the Board of Directors
May 01, 2009:
Adopted, Override Period; Start of Override Period
