INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II Administrative Committee continued to make decisions Wednesday on regulations and policies related to the COVID-19 response and the operation of Division II sports. Changes covered recruiting, reinstatement extensions, application of financial aid, playing and practice seasons, academic eligibility and membership reporting requirements.
After canceling all remaining winter and spring championships, the NCAA Board of Governors last week directed all three divisions to enact modifications, changes or waivers to legislation and rules, where appropriate, to provide relief due to regulations and policies impacted by COVID-19.
“During this unprecedented period of time, it’s important that NCAA committees and the leaders who serve on them make decisions to best serve the needs of institutions, student-athletes and coaches,” said Sandra Jordan, chancellor of South Carolina Aiken and chair of the Division II Presidents Council. “These changes are the start of how we will adapt regulations and policies to help Division II move forward during a challenging period.”
In a teleconference Wednesday afternoon after the Collegiate Commissioners Association decided to suspend all National Letter of Intent signings until at least April 15, the committee adopted a resolution to specify that institutional athletics aid agreements cannot be issued until at least April 15 to align with the recruiting dead period, which was adopted in the committee’s previous teleconference March 13. The Administrative Committee will reevaluate the status of the situation by April 15.
The committee also clarified the application of extension of eligibility waivers. They apply only to student-athletes who would have exhausted their athletics eligibility after the spring 2020 term, and it is not necessary for student-athletes to have used a season of competition in a spring sport during the 2019-20 academic year.
Release courtesy National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
