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What happens next

Ronnie Ramos
NCAA.org

The process to review the legislation involving student-athletes and agents already has begun. The process will take months, in part because significant input will be sought from many segments of the Division I membership.

“Feedback from NCAA members, including coaches, athletic administrators and others, will be vital to this dialogue,” NCAA Interim President Jim Isch said this week.

The Division I Amateurism Cabinet started discussing the issue in June, said David Berst, Division I vice president. The cabinet is looking at the agents issue from the perspective of “what kind of process best helps the student-athlete make an informed decision,” Berst said. The Cabinet is expected to continue discussing the issue at its September and February 2011 meetings.

Additionally, the Division I Leadership Council “will take up the subject and provide advice to the DI Board of Directors,” Berst said.  Those discussions, which will involve 31 people from every conference, will start from the perspective of how to best provide information to those select student-athletes with professional opportunities.

The Leadership Council will meet in October, January 2011 and March 2011. “By next spring, we will be in a position to inform the conferences and have them discuss this in their meetings that occur primarily in May and June [2011],” Berst said. 

Legislation that may be sponsored by any of these groups could be considered in Division I governance meetings in January 2012 or in April 2012. “This just can’t be a reaction to a news story,” Berst said. “Any change needs to be based on values and a philosophy of how this should work for the student-athlete.”