What to Ask Your School Before Your Waiver is Submitted to the NCAA

When an NCAA university is preparing a waiver or appeal on your athlete’s behalf to be sent directly to the NCAA national office, it’s important to have a candid conversation with the compliance administrator at your athlete’s university prior to the waiver or appeal being submitted.

My recommendation is for you to ask the compliance administrator “If the initial waiver is denied, are you willing to submit an appeal to give our athlete one more chance for approval?”

Here’s why:

• When a waiver is submitted to the NCAA, but is denied, the official waiver decision from the NCAA will indicate to the university “If you accept this decision, click “I Accept” below.” If that box is checked, it indicates the case is closed and cannot be appealed.

• If that box is NOT checked, then the appeal must be submitted within 30 days of the date that the first NCAA decision was issued.

We have seen situations in which an athlete or family wanted to know about their rights to appeal the denial of a waiver decision by the NCAA, only to have the university tell them “It’s too late to appeal, we’ve already accepted the NCAA’s decision.” It then becomes very difficult to gain the opportunity to appeal.

Do You Have Questions?

If you’re interested in a confidential consultation regarding a possible waiver situation, schedule a Waivers and Appeals Consultation online. We will answer all your questions and discuss specific options available to your athlete.