Bylaws

Vanderdoes Appeal Show Why NCAA Needs Control of NLI

If Eddie Vanderdoes had enrolled at Notre Dame and decided to transfer to UCLA because of a family member’s medical situation, there would be little doubt about the process he would have to go through. UCLA would file an appeal on Vanderdoes’ behalf for him to be immediately eligible. That appeal would need to document […]

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Mississippi State Gets Light Penalties for Recruiting Violations

Mississippi State received its sanctions from the NCAA for major violations committed by a booster in the recruitment of Will Redmond, a star defensive back for the Bulldogs. MSU will be on probation for the next two years, forfeited two initial and two overall scholarships for the 2012-13 and 2013-14 academic years, and will be […]

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Lax Scholarship Agreements Offer Glimpse at Post-NLI World

Before reading this, if you have not already, take a moment to read Brad Wolverton’s post at the Chronicle of Higher Education’s Players blog about scholarship agreements which do not require that prospects sign an accompanying NLI. To quickly recap: without proper language in the school’s athletic grant-in-aid agreement, an athlete who was sent both […]

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NCAA Medical Officer References Biological Passports in Concussion Plan

Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News has an in-depth interview with Dr. Brian Hainline, a neurologist recently hired as the NCAA’s first ever chief medical officer. Most of Dr. Hainline’s focus so far appears to be on concussions, for good reason. The threat to college athletics from concussion is both financial (potential for massive liability […]

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NCAA Rearranges Bylaws With Two Editorial Revisions

The NCAA recently published two editorial revisions that do not so much change or even clarify language, but mostly move some bylaws around to more appropriate places in the Division I Manual. ER-2013-8 moved a bylaw governing the involvement of prospective student-athletes in practice sessions from Bylaw 13 (recruiting) to Bylaw 14 (eligibility). None of […]

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Eddie Vanderdoes Q&A

Eddie Vanderdoes, a highly recruited defensive lineman from California signed with Notre Dame. Then he signed with UCLA. But Notre Dame did not release him from his National Letter of Intent. Here is a quick Q&A on how this is possible. Q: How can UCLA give Vanderdoes a scholarship? A: Permission to contact (commonly and […]

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How OU’s Jonathan Gray is Eligible

An MLB pre-draft drug test taken by Oklahoma pitcher Jonathan Gray came up positive for Adderall, a substance banned by both MLB and the NCAA. Yet Oklahoma has confirmed Gray is eligible to compete in this weekend’s Super Regional series against LSU. How is that possible? The NCAA’s strict drug testing penalties are only ever […]

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How A School Reports a Non-Violation

One of the fallouts of the news that a school reported a secondary violation for a women's golfer who used a university hose and water to wash her car has been that the NCAA responded with a determination that it did not consider this to be a violation. That has lead to its brand of […]

NAAC Award For Gene Smith Sends Wrong Message

The National Association for Athletics Compliance (NAAC) is the compliance affiliate of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), the main industry and professional group for athletics administrators. Like most professional organizations, NAAC recognizes outstanding achievement in its field by giving out awards at the annual convention. There’s the Frank Kara Leadership Award, […]

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If You Give An Athlete A Car Wash

The story of a West Coast Conference women’s golfer who committed an NCAA violation by using university water to wash her car looks like a classic case of NCAA overreach. There is a tiny monetary benefit (if any) to the athlete, based on a principle to which the NCAA already has many exceptions (athletes should […]

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