2002 Telephone Conf. No. 1
January 23, 2002

Acting for the Division I Management Council, the Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet Subcommittee on Legislative Review/Interpretations issued the following interpretations:

Financial Aid/Counters/Football

Head Count Sports -- Counter Status -- Benefits Received During Preseason Practice Before the First Day of Classes. A recruited student-athlete in a head-count sport who has been awarded an athletics grant-in-aid and receives any benefits during the preseason before the institution's first day of class that are part of the definition of a full grant-in-aid (that is, room and board) becomes a counter upon receipt of those benefits. Such a counter must be included in the applicable team limitations for that academic year. A student-athlete (recruited or nonrecruited) who has not been awarded any institutional aid and receives benefits defined within a full grant-in-aid (that is, room and board) during the preseason before the first day of classes shall not count within the team limits since that student-athlete was never intended to count within team limits. Further, a student-athlete who receives such benefits (that is, room and board) during the preseason and temporarily practices while awaiting certification from the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse shall not count within the team limits provided the student-athlete is determined to be a nonqualifier at the conclusion of the temporary certification period.

The subcommittee referred the issue of determining counter status to the NCAA Division I Committee on Financial Aid for review as it considers appropriate deregulation initiatives.

[References: NCAA Bylaws 15.5.5.3.1 (recruited student-athlete entering in fall term, aided in first year), 15.5.5.3.2 (recruited student-athlete entering after fall term, aided in first year), 15.5.1.2.5 (no institutional financial aid) 15.5.1.3.1 (no institutional financial aid) and a 01/10/88 official interpretation, Item No. 1.]

2002 Telephone Conf. No. 2
January 30, 2002
Recruiting/Evaluations/Basketball

NCAA Proposal 01-52 -- Definition of a Weekend. For purposes of applying Proposal 01-52, which permits the evaluation of men's basketball prospects at nonscholastic events only on weekends during the April contact period, a weekend shall be defined as Friday evening through Sunday. [Reference: Proposal 01-52 (recruiting calendar-men's basketball).]