Question of the Week
Week of 5/12/08
Question:
Who is a representative of the institution's athletics interest?
Answer:
A "representative of the institution's athletics interests" is an individual, independent agency, corporate entity or other organization who is known by a member of the institution's executive or athletics administration to:
(a) Have participated in or to be a member of an agency or organization promoting the institution's intercollegiate athletics program;
(b) Have made financial contributions to the athletics department or to an athletics booster organization of that institution;
(c) Be assisting or to have been requested (by the athletics department staff) to assist in the recruitment of prospective student-athletes;
(d) Be assisting or to have assisted in providing benefits to enrolled student-athletes or their families; or
(e) Have been involved otherwise in promoting the institution's athletics program.
Week of 5/5/08
Question:
Is it permissible for an athletics staff member or other representative of Ohio University to make contact with a student-athlete at another NCAA or NAIA four-year collegiate institution?
Answer:
No, the athletics staff member or other representative of the institution's athletics interests must first obtain the written permission of the first institution's athletics director (or an athletics administrator designated by the athletics director) to do so, regardless of who makes the initial contact.
Week of 4/28/08
Question:
After the calendar day on which a prospective student-athlete signs a NLI, can a noncoaching institutional staff member make telephone calls to or receive telephone calls from the prospective student-athlete (or the prospective student-athlete's parents or legal guardians) after they have signed a National Letter of Intent?
Answer:
Effective August 1, 2008, it is permissible for a noncoaching institutional staff member to make telephone calls to or receive telephone calls from the prospective student-athlete (or the prospective student-athlete's parents or legal guardians).
Additionally, for an institution not using the National Letter of Intent in a particular sport, or for a prospective student-athlete who is not eligible to sign a National Letter of Intent (e.g., four-year college transfer), a noncoaching institutional staff member may make telephone calls to or receive telephone calls from a prospective student-athlete (or the prospective student-athlete's parents or legal guardians) after the calendar day on which the prospective student-athlete signs the institution's written offer of admission and/or financial aid.
Week of 4/21/08
Question:
Under what circumstances may a prospective student-athlete visiting a member institution participate in recreational activities or physical workouts during a visit to an institution's campus?
Answer:
They may participate provided such activities:
(a) Are not organized or observed by members of the athletics department coaching staff; and
(b) Are not designed to test the athletics abilities of the prospective student-athlete.
Week of 4/14/08
Question:
How Does a Prospect Become "Recruited?"
Answer:
Actions by staff members or athletics representatives that cause a prospective student-athlete to become a recruited prospective student-athlete at an institution are:
a) Providing the prospect with an official visit;
b) Having an arranged, in-person, off-campus encounter with the prospect or the prospect's parent(s), relatives or legal guardian(s); Or
c) Initiating or arranging a telephone contact with the prospect, the prospect's relatives or legal guardian(s) on more than one occasion for the purpose of recruitment.
Week of 4/7/08
Question:
Is it permissible for an institution to create a portfolio of information (e.g., pictures) to be shown to prospective student-athletes during the recruiting process?
Answer:
No, it is not permissible, unless the portfolio is considered the institution's one permissible athletics recruiting publication (i.e., media guide or recruiting brochure).
Week of 3/31/08
Question:
Is it permissible to send a prospective student-athlete a video of a the team's typical workout and practice facilities?
Answer:
No. An institution may show a highlight film/videotape/audio tape to a PSA or the PSA's coach, but may not send it to or leave it with the PSA or coach. Highlight films/videotapes/audio tapes are "game clips" that contain informational material that is related to a particular event or sports season. Any narration on the highlight film/videotape/audio tape must relate specifically to the event or sports season. Highlight films/videotapes/audio tapes may include only clips of actual athletics contests and activities that occur on the day of the contest that are directly related to the contest (e.g., pre-game player introductions, half-time band and cheerleader performances, locker-room talks, crowd reactions, sideline coaching staff activities, post-game on-field award presentations). The highlight film may not include clips of other activities that are only indirectly related to the contests (e.g., team travel, team meals, entertainment activities, practice activities, institutional facilities).
Week of 3/17/08
Question:
What is a show cause?
Answer:
A show cause is when an institution goes before the NCAA Infractions Committee and explains/justifies in-depth why they want to hire a coach or administrator that has been banned for a certain period of time from seeking employment through a NCAA institution, because of a recruiting, program activity or personnel violation of the NCAA bylaws. For example, Indiana University had to do this in order to hire Coach Kelvin Sampson, because he had committed prior recruiting violations.
Week of 3/10/08
Question:
Is it permissible to provide a prospect with the $30 per day allotment for entertainment in cash?
Answer:
No. The institution may not provide cash to a prospective student-athlete for entertainment purposes. The student-athlete host is permitted $30 for entertainment purposes and must stay in his/her hands, after signing the host agreement form with the Compliance Department.
Week of 3/3/08
Question:
Is it permissible for an institution to purchase equipment/apparel at a reduced cost from a manufacturer and allow student-athletes to purchase such equipment/apparel from the institution at the reduced cost?
Answer:
No. This type of purchase would be considered an extra benefit. However, this arrangement is different than when an institution purchases equipment/apparel at a discount price, uses the item until it is deemed "un-useable", then in turn permits students to purchase or have the used equipment and/or provide it to seniors who have exhausted their eligibility, which is permissible.
Week of 2/18/08
Question:
Can a prospect attend a team's sport banquet on an official visit?
Answer:
Only if the institution uses the $30 per day entertainment allowance to purchase admission to the banquet. The prospect's parents/legal guardians must also have their meals purchased via the entertainment allowance.
Week of 2/11/08
Question:
May an institution's coach be interviewed for an article that will appear in a recruiting publication or newsletter?
Answer:
Yes. Effective immediately, coaches are not precluded from providing an interview for an article that will appear in a recruiting publication or newsletter.
Week of 2/4/08
Question:
If a student-athlete violates a team policy, it is permissible to require additional physical workouts as a punishment?
Answer:
Yes. Provided Bylaw 17.1.5 is met (the student does not exceed four hours of countable-athletically-related activities per day, is provided a day off each 7 day period, and does not exceed 20 hours per week of countable athletically-related activities). The time the student is participating in "punishment" workouts must be included in daily and weekly logs.
Week of 1/21/08
Question:
If a sport team begins a contest but is prevented from completing it due to extenuating circumstances (i.e. weather), does that count as a date of competition for NCAA minimum scheduling requirements?
Answer:
No. Only if a contest meets the sport rules criteria of a completed contest (i.e. 5 innings in softball) can the contest count as a completed event. If, for example, a softball team only completes 2 ½ innings of a game before it is cancelled due to weather, the game does not count as a contest for NCAA scheduling requirements. In addition, as long as no further athletically-related activities occur on that day, this can count as an "off" day towards the 20-hour rule.
Week of 11/12/07
Question:
For an official visit, can an institution provide lodging to a student host if the visit occurs during a vacation period?
Answer:
No. An institution providing an official visit to a prospective student-athlete during an official vacation period may not provide lodging expenses to a student-athlete host.
Week of 11/5/07
Question:
Can a four-year college transfer sign a National Letter of Intent?
Answer:
No. Only prospects departing high school or a two-year college can sign a National Letter of Intent. In addition, prospects can only sign one, valid Letter of Intent. If for some reason a prospect cannot attend the institution from which he/she has originally signed and wishes to attend another school, he/she cannot sign an NLI with the second school unless a Release Agreement is approved.
Week of 10/29/07
Question:
What Exactly Does "Voluntary" Mean?
Answer:
1) The student-athlete must not be required to attend, nor report back to a coach or other athletics department staff member (e.g. strength coach, trainer, manager) any information related to the activity. In addition, no athletics department staff member who observes the activity (e.g., strength coach, trainer, manager) may report back to the student-athlete's coach any information related to the activity;
2) The activity must be initiated and requested solely by the student-athlete. Neither the institution nor any athletics department staff member may require the student-athlete to participate in the activity at any time. However, it is permissible for an athletics department staff member to provide information to student-athletes related to available opportunities for participating in voluntary activities (e.g., times when the strength and conditioning coach will be on duty in the weight room or on the track). In addition, for students who have initiated a request to engage in voluntary activities, the institution or an athletics department staff member may assign specific times for student-athletes to use institutional facilities for such purposes and inform the student-athletes of the time in advance;
3) The student-athlete may not be subjected to penalty if he or she elects not to participate in the activity;
4) Neither the institution nor any athletics department staff member may provide recognition or incentives (e.g., awards, t-shirts) to a student-athlete based on his or her attendance or performance in the volunteer activity.
Week of 10/22/07
Question:
Is it permissible for an institution to provide expenses (e.g. meals, lodging, travel, entry fee) to a student-athlete who is participating in an athletics event "unattached" (not representing OHIO)?
Answer:
No. When a student-athlete competes unattached, the institution may not provide any expenses to the participating student-athlete. Prohibited examples include providing transportation (e.g. riding on the team bus/van to a team competition) or lodging (sharing a room with other athletes who are representing OHIO).
Week of 10/15/07
Question:
Can an institution provide workout apparel to a prospect who is on an (un)official visit and who chooses to participate in a voluntary "pick up game" with current student-athletes?
Answer:
No. An institution may not provide workout apparel to a prospect who wishes to participate in recreational activities during a visit to an institution's campus.
Week of 10/8/07
True or False:
A senior prospect may be provided an official visit if the prospect provides a high school transcript and test score to OHIO prior to the visit.
FALSE:
The prospect must also be registered with the Eligibility Center (Clearinghouse) and the prospect's name must appear on Ohio's Institutional Request List (IRL).
Week of 10/1/07
Question:
Can an Ohio Athletics Department staff member have recruiting information on his/her personal web site or personal page on a website?
Answer:
Any information related to Ohio's athletics program on a staff member's personal website is subject to the same restrictions that apply to the Ohio athletics website. However, it is NOT permissible for staff member's personal website to include a hyperlink to the website of a recruiting/scouting service or a non-Ohio publication that reports on our athletics program.
Week of 9/24/07
Question:
Would it be permissible for a coach to bring a current student-athlete in the car to pick up a recruit at the Columbus Airport for the recruit's official visit?
Answer:
No. An institution may not provide enrolled student-athletes with transportation or expenses to recruit a prospect, except those permissible for a student host. It would be permissible for a student-athlete, at his/her own expense, to transport a prospect on an official visit to/from an airport within 30 miles of the institution.
Week of 9/17/07
Question:
If a prospect visiting campus is in our locker room after a game, would it be permissible to introduce the prospect to a former student-athlete who is also in the locker room?
Answer:
No. While a prospective student-athlete may visit a locker room after a game when boosters are present in the room, it is not permissible for a booster (e.g., a former student-athlete) to introduce him/herself to a prospective student-athlete in a locker room, inasmuch as such an introduction is not considered "incidental" contact. The same would hold true in interactions in loges or tailgate lots.
