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Reports: Fall sport athletes allowed to compete without losing year of eligibility, pending final approval
By Keith Farner
Published:
The NCAA is moving to allow fall sport athletes to still compete without the cost of a year of eligibility this season as virtually every sport is affected by schedule changes or postponements in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pete Thamel of Yahoo! and Brett McMurphy of Stadium each reported the news, which is pending approval on Friday by the NCAA Board of Governors. The initial decision was approved by the NCAA Division I Council, which said athletes could compete in any amount of competitions this year.
This move came less than a week after the NCAA called off all fall sports championships, a move that doesn’t affect major college football. This appears to be the latest in what’s expected to be a school year full of adjustments.
“That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t and can’t turn toward winter and spring and say, ‘How can we create a legitimate championship for those students?’” NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a video at the time. “There are ways to do this. I am completely confident we can figure this out. If schools and conferences want to move forward … let’s do it.”
Emmert also said NCAA officials have begun work on contingencies for the NCAA basketball tournaments, possibly moving dates and looking into creating bubbles in which the teams can compete.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
