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Division I faces lengthy legislative agenda

Though the Division I agenda will not feature an override vote at the NCAA Convention for the first time since 2005, important work will be done this week to shape the future of the division.

The Legislative Council will begin voting on 127 pieces of legislation, including several key items that could cause major changes in Division I rules governing amateurism, academic eligibility, membership standards and recruiting.

Among the more significant proposals are:

• Proposal No. 2010-26, which would change the rules regarding the use of student-athlete likenesses in promotions. The measure aims to accommodate advancements in technology and facilitate more authentic promotions associating schools with their sponsors while maintaining the Association’s fundamental principles of prohibiting exploitation of student-athletes by commercial enterprises. The measure was sponsored by the Amateurism Cabinet and stemmed from the work of the Presidential Task Force on Commercial Activity in Division I Athletics.
• Proposal No. 2010-42, which would prohibit coaches from making verbal offers of aid before July 1 after a prospect’s junior year. The proposal also has an academic component requiring institutions to have a five-semester or seven-quarter high school transcript on file before a verbal offer can be made. The proposal was sponsored by the Recruiting and Athletics Personnel Cabinet and rose from a general outcry in the membership about the dangers of early recruiting and verbal offers of aid.
• Several proposals would affect eligibility rules, including proposals strengthening academic standards for men’s basketball and football and others allowing student-athletes to use courses taken in a nontraditional format under specific conditions to satisfy progress-toward-degree requirements.
• Proposal No. 2010-100, which would revamp Division I membership standards and create a new path for schools not currently competing in the division to reclassify.
• Proposal No. 2010-110, which would eliminate the ability for incoming student-athletes to decline a test for the sickle cell trait.

The Leadership Council, which meets on Thursday, is expected to weigh in on men’s basketball recruiting and student-athlete amateurism issues.

The Board of Directors tasked the Council with studying the recruiting issue after the Collegiate Commissioners Association brought concerns to the presidents last fall. The Council plans to have recommendations for a new recruiting model to the Board within a year.

The Council will also discuss amateurism rules in the wake of several eligibility cases involving violations of Bylaw 12, including student-athletes who had contact with agents in violation of current NCAA legislation.

That discussion is expected to carry over to the Division I Board of Directors, which will meet on Saturday to review the work of both the Legislative and Leadership Councils, as well as discuss issues of its own.

The Board will discuss the NCAA’s licensing and advertising policies, a conversation prompted by GoDaddy.com’s sponsorship of a postseason bowl. Some within the Division I membership found the web-domain company’s advertising to be in conflict with NCAA values. The issue will also be on the Executive Committee’s Saturday agenda.