National Collegiate Athletic Association

NCAA News Archive - 2010

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Jan 16, 2010 3:15:43 PM

ATLANTA – After 18 months of trying to find an alternative to the organized-competition rule, delegates at Saturday's Division II business session overwhelmingly approved a major change that redefines what constitutes organized competition and grants prospects a year between high school graduation and college enrollment to participate in it without penalty.

The adoption of Proposal No. 2010-11 (by a 218-59-3 count) reflects the membership's readiness to change a rule that the membership – judging by its previous actions –  considered broken.

The original organized-competition rule was adopted at the 2001 Convention and relied on individual institutions to certify their own prospects' amateurism status. When that certification responsibility was shifted to the Eligibility Center in 2006, waiver requests jumped enough to indicate that the membership had either changed its mind on what it wanted the rule to accomplish or was confused about how to apply it.

The most troubling part of the original rule was that it used compensation – to any member of the team – as the trigger for determining organized competition. That meant players who weren't being paid were being affected by the few that were.

The new rule applies a much broader definition of organized competition, such as whether official score is maintained, uniforms are used and statistics are maintained. Those are so broad, in fact, that Lock Haven Athletics Director Sharon Taylor on the Convention floor said the new parameters "can hardly be avoided."

Importantly, though, compensation isn't one of them.

"The new rule undoubtedly casts a wider net, but it is simpler and provides a consistent means of applying the rule," said West Texas A&M President Pat O'Brien, who as a member of the Division II Presidents Council was an advocate of changing the rule as far back as two years ago. "It is also easier to explain and educate coaches, institutions, and most importantly, prospective student-athletes."

The proposal came with Student-Athlete Advisory Committee support, too. SAAC member Alex Molotsky from Adelphi said, "Current rules are tough for prospects to understand. The grace period benefits both domestic and international athletes and provides time for people to make college decisions."

Some people who opposed the change from the Convention floor said it put at risk one of the division's most unique attributes, which is providing a landing place for the "nontraditional" or older students who have delayed college enrollment for legitimate reasons.

"This is not a disguised ‘age rule,' " O'Brien said at the business session. "We are committed to providing education for older students. The expanded grace period will still provide opportunities for this type of nontraditional student-athlete. They now have a full year to help make those decisions."

Taylor argued for "a middle ground between where we were and where this legislation is trying to take us," but the decisive vote indicated that most Division II members are comfortable with the change.

The rule becomes effective August 1, 2010, for individuals who are issued a final amateurism certification by the NCAA Eligibility Center on or after April 1, 2010.