NCAA approves waiver for fall-sport athletes, championships in spring |
Brandon Rink
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- Friday, August 21 2020
The NCAA approved a blanket waiver Friday for fall sports athletes, including football, which won't have current seniors count against the scholarship limit in 2021 if they opt to return.
The move comes on the heels of four FBS conferences -- two from the Power 5 -- postponing their seasons to the spring out of precautions for the coronavirus. Players from conferences who are competing in either the fall or the spring can play any number of games and still maintain an extra year of eligibility. Per the Athletic, like with the spring-approved waivers -- schools do not have to match and can therefore reduce the financial aid from this school year for players who opt to return. The NCAA also approved a move for the canceled fall sports championships -- from FCS football to other fall sports such as soccer, volleyball and cross country -- to play a championship in the spring, with the ability to alter the playoff formats as needed. More NCAA approvals outlined: The board also adopted the Council-recommended protections for college athletes: -Schools are prohibited from requiring student-athletes to waive legal rights regarding COVID-19 as a condition of athletics participation. -Schools are prohibited from canceling or reducing athletics scholarships if a college athlete in any sport opts not to participate due to COVID-19. -Student-athletes who do not enroll full time during the 2020 fall term have flexibility in the progress-toward-degree requirements that must be met for eligibility in future terms. -The financial aid of fall sport senior student-athletes who take advantage of the additional year of eligibility and extended clock will not count against team limits in 2021-22. Schools are required to: -Review current insurance coverage for all student-athletes who are competing this fall. -Inform student-athletes about the risk classification of their sport as outlined in the Resocialization of Collegiate Sport document. -Inform student-athletes how the mandates in the Resocialization of Collegiate Sport document are being met at their campus. Think of the eligibility ruling this way. The NCAA fall championships being moved to spring will be allowed to scale down/limit AQs, source says. Re: Financial aid obligations, it's a similar model to what happened with spring-sport athletes. Athletes get eligibility but school doesn't have to match the aid they get now. Institution may reduce or not renew such aid for the eligible athletes, source tells @TheAthleticCFB. The NCAA fall championships being moved to spring will be allowed to scale down/limit AQs, source says. Board is directing schools to review the insurance coverage for all athletes who may compete in the fall and provide them with that information plus other info about risk classification in NCAA's resocialization docs.
At the start of 2021, college football teams will have two full freshmen classes as far as eligibility is concerned. This year's and next year's.
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