We encourage athletes receiving athletic scholarships (and their families) to review all scholarship documents, as well as any athletic department student-athlete handbooks and/or team policies regarding the conditions under which an athlete’s scholarship can be reduced or cancelled during the academic year.

Once the academic year begins, an NCAA athletic program can only cancel an athlete’s scholarship for limited reasons.

Because a “violation of team rules” can be vague and open to interpretation, it will be important for athletes and families to be knowledgeable about any athletic department or team rules provided to the athletes.

Here’s a recent example of some key wording from a scholarship agreement issued to one of our clients from an NCAA university:

“I am aware the amount of my athletics grant may be immediately reduced or cancelled during the period of the award if:

• I miss an excessive number of classes, fail to complete an excessive number of academic assignments, fail to take examinations, miss meetings with the Academic Service Coordinator for Student-Athletes or otherwise neglect my academic responsibilities;
• I break team rules, miss treatment sessions with the Athletic Training Staff, violate the Student-Athlete Code of Conduct, do not fulfill the terms of a behavioral contract or engage in serious misconduct bringing disciplinary action from XXX University.”

Need Advice?

If you have questions about your athlete’s scholarship agreement or other questions, schedule a confidential scholarship strategies consult online, or by calling 913-766-1235 or sending an email to rick@informedathlete.com.