Details Emerge from Division I Council Vote Allowing Voluntary Workouts

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Image: Amanda Pavelka, Hoosier Huddle

Image: Amanda Pavelka, Hoosier Huddle

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

Earlier on Wednesday reports surfaced that the NCAA Division I Council vote approved lifting the moratorium for on-campus voluntary workouts. That decision is now official according to a release from the NCAA .

“Division I football and basketball student-athletes can participate in on-campus voluntary athletics activities beginning June 1, the Division I Council decided in a virtual meeting Wednesday, as long as all local, state and federal regulations are followed” the release from Michelle Brutlag Hosick read.

There are also some restrictions on want ‘voluntary’ means. In athletics at all levels usually that word really means, it’s your choice, but you should be there. However, there was an emphasis put on this hidden meaning to keep coaches from taking advantage of it. “Voluntary on-campus athletics activity must be initiated by the student-athlete. Coaches may not be present unless a sport-specific safety exception allows it, and activity cannot be directed by a coach or reported back to a coach” according to the release.

According to Council chair M. Grace Calhoun, who is also the athletic director at the University of Pennsylvania, “We encourage each school to use its discretion to make the best decisions possible for football and basketball student-athletes within the appropriate resocialization framework. Allowing for voluntary athletics activity acknowledges that reopening our campuses will be an individual decision but should be based on advice from medical experts.”

Additional Information from Release

Legislative moratorium

The Council also approved a limited moratorium on Council-governance, conference-sponsored legislative proposals for the 2020-21 legislative cycle. Exceptions to the moratorium include conference-sponsored proposals related to transfer eligibility; the use of a student-athlete’s name, image and likeness; and concepts intended to address the impact of COVID-19.

In addition, conferences may submit legislative concepts that are essential to the operation of the division, related to significant membership priorities or advance the NCAA Division I Board of Directors’ strategic areas of emphasis, including its modernization agenda.  The Council will determine whether concepts meet the required parameters. The moratorium is effective immediately.

Additionally, the Council decided legislation introduced by the Council must follow the same parameters.

Waivers

The Council remains committed to providing appropriate flexibility to support students, schools and conferences during these challenging times, noting that in some instances the appropriate avenue for relief should be addressed on a case-by-case basis rather than through a blanket waiver. To that end, the group approved the following:

  • Waiving the minimum football attendance requirement for Football Bowl Subdivision members for two years.

  • In sports other than football, basketball, cross country, men’s swimming and diving, indoor and outdoor track and field, and wrestling, teams will not be required to play 50% of contests above the required minimum number of contests against Division I opponents. Those sports are still required to play 100 percent of the minimum number of contests against Division I opponents.

  • Football Championship Subdivision teams will not be required to play at least 50% of football games against FBS or FCS opponents.

  • Financial aid minimums for FBS schools were waived to permit an institution to award at least 75% of the maximum FBS financial aid limit for three years. In addition, institutions will be permitted to award a minimum of 150 athletics grants-in-aid or expend a minimum of $3 million on grants-in-aid to student-athletes for a period of three years. Gender equity requirements and rules governing nonrenewal/cancellation of aid remain in effect.

  • FBS schools will not be required to play 60% of their games against FBS members or play five home games against FBS opponents.

Additional waivers will be considered over the next few months.