NCAA Division I student-athletes who have had their 2021 Spring sports season cancelled or suspended will have the opportunity to receive a waiver for limited competition with other college opponents so that they will not be charged with a season of eligibility.
This is NOT a blanket waiver that will automatically be applied for Spring sport athletes. A Division I university will need to request this waiver on behalf of any of their spring sport athletes who have been impacted by a cancelled or suspended season.
An example of how this waiver may be applied by the NCAA is the following:
The Ivy League cancelled conference competition and conference championship events for Spring sports. However, they left open the option for their universities to engage in local non-conference competition if permitted by local and regional health guidelines.
In a situation such as this, it will be possible for those D1 student-athletes to participate in limited competition and not be charged with using one of their seasons of eligibility if a waiver is approved for them by the NCAA.
This action was taken by the Division I Council because “The decision of schools and/or conferences to cancel spring sport seasons was outside of the control of the student-athletes.”
To qualify for this waiver, the student-athletes will not be allowed to participate in more than 30% of the maximum contests or dates of competition for that particular sport. Also, any such competition must not take place after the date that the NCAA selects teams for postseason competition in that sport.
Do You Need Advice?
If you have questions regarding how this waiver may be applied in your athlete’s specific situation, you can schedule a confidential Waivers and Appeals Consult online. You can also contact us directly by sending an email to rick@informedathlete.com or by calling 913-766-1235 to arrange a consult session.
The NCAA recently issued clarification for current Division II spring sport athletes regarding what will constitute the use of a “season of competition” as well as how a Division II spring sport athlete can qualify for an Extension of their eligibility for this Spring sports season.
Season of Competition:
A Division II spring sport athlete who plays during the season for a team that competes in more than 50% of the maximum number of contests or dates of competition for their sport will be charged with the use of a season.
If the athlete’s Division II team does NOT compete in more than 50% of the maximum number of contests or dates of competition for their sport, the athlete will NOT be charged with the use of a season.
Student-athletes in individual sports will be impacted by the same 50% threshold and must also account for any competition in which they are competing individually and not as part of a team competition.
Extension of Eligibility:
Division II student-athletes will be able to receive an Extension of one academic year (two semesters or three quarters) onto their eligibility “clock” as long as the student-athlete was eligible at some point during the academic year AND meets one of the following conditions:
- Qualifies for a Season of Competition waiver (described in the first section above).
- Spring sport season was cancelled due to pandemic.
- Student-athlete opts out of participation in their sport at any time prior to the final game or date of competition.
- Student-athlete doesn’t compete this season at all.
Possible Impact for a Division II Student-Athlete
Based on the Division II rulings for Spring sport athletes to receive an Extension of their eligibility, here are two examples of how a Division II spring sport student-athlete may be able to benefit from these rulings.
Scenario 1: A spring sport athlete was eligible during the Fall ’20 semester but is not academically eligible to compete this Spring season.
Even though this athlete did not satisfy academic requirements and is not eligible to compete this Spring, he or she can still receive the Extension of Eligibility for two more semesters. This is possible because the athlete was academically eligible during at least a portion of this academic year.
Scenario 2: Spring sport athlete is academically eligible this Spring and plays in the vast majority of the games or dates of competition in their sport, but then chooses to opt out late in the season.
(For this scenario, let’s assume this athlete has been playing with a minor injury this spring and wants to have one more healthy season, or they receive a season-ending injury late in the year just before postseason play begins.)
In this scenario, the athlete will be charged with a season of competition for this Spring 2021 participation since their team competed in more than 50% of a normal season.
However, as long as this athlete still has at least one more season of competition available, he or she will qualify for the Extension of eligibility for two more semesters because they chose to opt out before the end of the season.
We know that these special NCAA rulings can be confusing!
If you have questions and need help understanding how these rules could impact your student-athlete, schedule a confidential Eligibility Consult online, call 913-766-1235 or send an email to rick@informedathlete.com.
The Atlantic Coast Conference recently announced that they are eliminating the league’s intra-conference transfer rule.
This means that while the standard NCAA DI transfer rules still apply to athletes who transfer to a Division I university, ACC athletes who transfer to another ACC school are no longer bound by additional conference restrictions.
Those Conference restrictions previously mandated that student-athletes who transferred from one ACC school to another must serve a year in residence at the new university. The “year in residence” rule applied to student-athletes who were on an athletic scholarship at the first university as well as student-athletes who were recruited to the first university even if they weren’t on an athletic scholarship.
Why This Decision Is Important for All of Division I
The above action obviously has a direct impact only on student-athletes who transfer within the ACC.
However, I believe this decision has a more wide-ranging impact and sets the stage for all student-athletes to have immediate eligibility one time upon transfer to a Division I program from another four-year university (as long as they satisfy academic requirements).
My belief is based on the statement issued by ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips regarding the action taken by the ACC Board of Directors:
“The time has come for all student-athletes to have the opportunity to transfer and be permitted to compete immediately. This decision is in the best interest of our student-athletes as it allows greater flexibility during their collegiate career.”
Commissioner Phillips is an influential voice as the leader of one of the Power Five conferences. He also has served as a past chairperson of the NCAA Division I Council and the first athletic director to serve on the NCAA’s restructured Board of Directors in 2015.
I’m confident that Division I presidents and athletic directors across the country have taken note of Commissioner Phillips’ statement.
Do You Need Help Navigating the Transfer Process?
To arrange a discussion of the NCAA Division I transfer rules, schedule a confidential Transfer Consult to review the rules that will apply to your student-athlete. You can also contact us by sending an email to rick@informedathlete.com or by calling 913-766-1235.
