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House plaintiffs' attorney Jeffrey Kessler blames “infighting” between the NCAA and its power league co-defendants for the hold-up in submitting the proposed settlement to U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken. Kessler tells Sportico’s Daniel Libit: “The NCAA and the conferences have been extraordinarily slow, and we are really pushing them to speed this up. They just have to get their act together or frankly we are going to go to the court.” NCAA Director of Communications Michelle Hosick calls Kessler’s assessment “inaccurate” and tells Libit: “All parties are working through these complicated issues together and expect to have resolution soon." Kessler, however, contends: “We had very extensive term sheets that resolved really all the substantive issues, so we are really just on language – and some of this is technical language – and that is really why it shouldn’t be taking this long.” When asked, Kessler says that he is “not aware” of any members of the proposed settlement classes looking to opt out. “Why would there be defections? The past damages are one of the largest antitrust recoveries in history, period – not just in sports cases. … We are estimating that over the next 10 years this will provide athletes on the order of $20B in new benefits they couldn’t otherwise receive. There is not a lot not to like about this.” (link); Houston Christian (DI) continues to push back in the House case, per USA Today’s Steve Berkowitz: “[N]either the NCAA nor the Power 5 conferences have adequately represented HCU’s interests ... Virtually all of the back damages were caused by the Power 5 conferences and done to Power 5 athletes. Yet the Power 5 conferences will pay only a relatively small percentage of those damages…” Also, “Indeed, the $2.8 billion settlement does not truly represent the loss of student-athletes’ name, image and likeness. At a contested evidentiary hearing, HCU believes this number will be unsupportable. Instead, the majority of this amount represents the moneys institutions are diverting from core academic functions to induce players to enroll at their schools. This diversion of funds earmarked for academics is on top of the untold millions of dollars Division I sports loses each year. This is the basis for HCU’s allegation that the proposed settlement will cause HCU and other similarly situated institutions and their officers and trustees to be in violation of their fiduciary duties.” (link)

Sportico’s Michael McCann is curious whether U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals Judge David Porter’s concurring opinion in Johnson v. NCAA will gain the same kind of traction U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s did in the Alston case. While concurring opinions are neither law nor precedent, McCann notes many “court and agency filings have favorably invoked Kavanaugh’s concurrence, where he – unlike the other eight U.S. Supreme Court justices – described the NCAA as a cartel. His words have repeatedly surfaced in litigation concerning college athlete employment, scholarship caps, NIL collectives and even UFC fighter pay. … Porter, who like Kavanaugh was nominated by President Donald Trump, suggested that while FBS football players, ‘March Madness-level men’s basketball players’ and possibly other revenue-generating college athletes likely meet the legal definition of employment, other college athletes probably do not. It’s a distinction that is popular in some corners of college sports. Porter has now lent it legitimacy.” McCann parses several components of Porter’s argument, including his rejection of the NCAA’s position that amateurism precludes employment. Porter stresses that “a combination of market forces, decades-spanning behavior of the NCAA and some Division I teams and athletes, and the Supreme Court’s relevant antitrust decisions have enervated” the “existence or virtue of amateurism” for some college athletes. McCann subsequently notes: “The new goalpost for the NCAA might not be whether college athletes are employees, but instead which ones.” (link)

St. Cloud State AD Holly Schreiner chats with St. Cloud Live’s Andy Rennecke about the university’s stability and the impact on athletics. While the department has not experienced as many cuts as others, Schreiner states that many athletics cuts were done up front years ago, adding of the broader situation: “You would never run your personal finances always in a deficit. You could, but it's not going to be a good outcome. We needed to take a hard look from the business side of things. […] If you don't plan ahead, you can't invest. What does the next couple of years look like from staffing to scholarships? Or to renovations or upgrades or wish lists? If you don't have them written down, you're not going to get them.” Schreiner notes the academic cuts will slightly tweak the recruiting pitch for SCSU, as “No recruit could ever come in and say, ‘you don't have my academic program.’" and the future of the Husky Sports Band is unknown at this time. On facilities, the Huskies hope to set up the new Husky Dome next summer and redo the turf at Husky Stadium in a year or two, adding that “Part of our plan was to move softball to Husky Stadium for a while now. From an athletic perspective, we will use Selke if we need it, but I don't see that happening. I don't anticipate us keeping it up, either.” More. (link)

Mountain East Commissioner Reid Amos and PacWest Commissioner Jessica Harbison Weaver sit down with D2.ticker to share their perspectives on streaming, evaluating a move behind a paywall, the impact of NCAA championships moving behind a paywall and more. While the PacWest has decided to move behind the paywall on Hudl starting this fall, the MEC will keep its content on Mountain East TV adding: “We value being able to be engaged with donors, potential student-athletes, potential general students, alumni, and community members without the barrier of a paywall. When you go behind a paywall, most of the viewership you maintain is among people that you’ve already captured and are significantly invested in your program. For smaller colleges like ours, our streaming platform is an important piece of our collective engagement strategies.” Amos on what external factors would sway the math to move behind a paywall: “If we feel that we can effectively utilize our free-to-view sponsor-driven platform, as part of successful marketing plans at our institutions and those plans lead to enrollment opportunities, engagement, donor giving, and other revenue-generating strategies, then the revenue from a rights fee would need to clearly outpace the revenues that we feel we might lose from a reduction in engagement as a result of moving content behind a paywall.” Asked about moving more DII championships behind a paywall, Harbison Weaver believes: “The way the industry is going it makes financial sense to get on board the streaming bandwagon and charge for these events. I think it also gives fans a better experience and emphasizes the premium nature of a championship event.” On the other hand, Amos articulates: “If Division II Championships are sometimes on linear channels ESPN, ESPN2, or ESPNU and earlier rounds were, say on ESPN+, that’s very different than our Championships being behind a paywall like FloSports or Hudl. […] If we placed Division II content behind a paywall controlled by the NCAA, viewership would likely go down, but we would control all or nearly all of the revenue associated with a Division II-owned and operated streaming platform for its championship events.”Check out all of their responses, including the responses from Landmark (DIII) Commissioner Katie Boldvich, SLIAC (DIII) Commissioner Dick Kaiser and NCAC (DIII) Executive Director Keri Alexander Luchowski. (link)

@1QLeadership Question: Is it important to assess a potential head coach's ability to evaluate talent?

Sarah Baumgartner, Executive Senior Associate Director of Athletics at Texas and retired Director of Athletics, Bill McGillis talk about facilitating sports as a college athletics executive. They also cover evaluating talent and the layers involved when hiring head coaches.

• hiring a head coach can be surprising process

• managing sports in a department is complex

• talent evaluation can be the separator for a good and great head coach

McGillis recently retired from University of San Diego after serving as the Director of Athletics for seven years. Baumgartner has been a long-time fundraiser in college athletics, but currently manages all sports programs at University of Texas. 🎧 on Spotify or Apple Podcast.

The NCAA has extended its agreement with officiating services provider RefQuest Plus and is implementing a long-term strategy to provide additional resources and tools to assist all conferences in addressing concerns about officiating. Starting with the 2024-25 academic year, the NCAA will cover the cost of the RQ+ officiating platform, including payment transaction fees and signature software costs, for DII and DIII and single-sport conferences. Additionally, the NCAA will supplement up to $10K in platform costs for DI conferences. Other benefits of the initiative include offering immediate financial relief for conferences, increasing the number of NCAA-registered officials from ~23K to over 35K, ensuring better-educated officials and consistent officiating through national standards in education and training opportunities, and identifying and addressing regions experiencing officiating shortages. NCAA VP of Championships Anthony Holman: "This agreement with RQ+ puts in place a long-term strategy to help solve some of the biggest concerns we've heard from the membership regarding officiating. We are committing the financial resources to aid conferences and growing the next generation of officials while better educating and supporting current ones." (link)

Deal Digest:

+ Alaska Fairbanks continues its collaboration with Nike and BSN Sports to serve as the official apparel and equipment provider of the Nanooks. (link)

+ Lenoir-Rhyne teams up with vivenu to be its new ticketing platform. (link)

Coaches.wire:

+ Allen selects former Lake Erie Football AC Eric Caler as its Men’s and Women’s Track & Field HC/Football AC. (link)

+ Erskine elevates Men’s Volleyball AC Jason Sall to HC. (link)

+ Lenoir-Rhyne names Spartanburg Methodist (NAIA) Men’s Golf HC Tyler Jones as Men’s & Women’s Golf HC. (link)

+ Southern Wesleyan hires USC Upstate (DI) Men’s Golf AC Matt Smith as Men’s & Women’s Golf HC. (link)

+ Winston-Salem State promotes Women’s Volleyball AC Christa Brown to Interim HC. (link)

+ Take a look at the latest edition of Coaches.wire, which features coaching movement in 27 different college sports this morning. (link)

The Baseball Rules Committee has recommended expanding the use of one-way communication devices beginning with the 2025 season. Under the proposal, a player on the field or coaches in the third base or first base boxes could initiate one-way communication to relay signals to offensive or defensive players. The committee also proposed that hitters must be alert toward the pitcher by the time the 20-second action clock reaches 8 seconds rather than 10 seconds. Committee members reason that allowing hitters two additional seconds balances the action-clock rule where pitchers can't hold the ball for up to 10 seconds in an attempt to "freeze" the hitter. Additionally, the committee recommended eliminating the limit on how many warmup pitches can be made before an inning. Starting pitchers could take as many throws as possible in 120 seconds. Relievers would be allowed to take as many warmup pitches as possible in 150 seconds. More proposals. (link)

Higher Ed Dive’s Naaz Modan and Natalie Schwartz report the U.S. Department of Education has delayed its Title IX athletics rule: “In its Spring 2024 Unified Agenda — which also included updates for high-profile forthcoming regulations on student debt relief — OMB (the Office of Management and Budget) moved the athletics proposal to a ‘long-term action’ without a rough deadline, meaning the agency doesn’t expect a regulatory action within at least the next year. The rule, which is expected to provide a framework for colleges to include or exclude transgender students from athletic teams aligning with their gender identities, had previously been listed as being in the “final rule stage.” Now its final deadline is “to be determined.” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona: “The Title IX [athletics] proposal was submitted nine months later” than the broader Title IX proposed rule. It would have been great to put them together. But the reality is we would have had to delay the other one to get through this one.” (link)

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(Posted from most recent over the last 30 days)

Athletic Director (University of Missouri – St. Louis / St. Louis, MO): University of Missouri St. Louis, a distinguished institution celebrated for its commitment to academic excellence, is excited to welcome an exceptional leader to become our next Athletic Director. More details HERE.

Athletic Trainer - Northern State University (Sanford Health / Aberdeen, SD): Department Details Work in a D2 collegiate setting at Northern State University with great athletics support! More details HERE.

Associate/Assistant Athletic Trainer (Sul Ross State University / Alpine, TX): The Athletic Trainer will provide professional health care, instruction, prevention, rehabilitation, first aid, injury assessment, and supervise and educate student athletic trainers. More details HERE.

Head Coach – Men’s and Women’s Fencing (Haverford College / Haverford, PA): Haverford College invites applications for our full-time (37.5 hours per week), exempt, benefits-eligible Head Coach for Men’s and Women’s Fencing opportunity. (DIII) More details HERE.

Head Men's Golf Coach (Rhodes College / Memphis, TN): The Head Men’s Golf Coach is responsible for all aspects of a competitive NCAA Division III golf program. This requires a proven coaching background with success in recruiting student-athletes. (DIII) More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance (University of Texas at Dallas / Richardson, TX): The Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance reports directly to the Associate Athletic Director for Compliance and assists in the responsibility for institutional control of NCAA Compliance. More details HERE.

Assistant/Associate Athletic Director for Compliance (East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania / Easton, PA): Responsible for the administration of all phases of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II program at ESU. More details HERE.

Gifts Officer for Athletic Fundraising (Mars Hill University / Mars Hill, NC): The Gifts Officer for Athletic Fundraising is responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major gift prospects and donors. More details HERE.

Athletics Administrative Assistant (University of Texas at Dallas / Richardson, TX): Serve as the first point of contact for the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, providing clerical and high-level administrative support to the Director of Athletics and Associate Directors. More details HERE.

USU Academic Coordinator (Student Success Advisor) (Utah State University / Logan, UT): Position will support the academic needs of student-athletes and assist in the day-to-day operation of Student-Athlete Academic Services (SAAS). (DI) More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Trainer (Lake Erie College / Painesville, OH): Lake Erie College invites applications for the full-time position of Assistant Athletic Trainer. LEC Competes in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC). More details HERE.

Assistant Women's Basketball Coach (Washington & Lee University / Lexington, VA): W&L is hiring an Assistant Women's Basketball Coach to assist the Head Coach in all aspects of managing a highly competitive NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Program. (DIII) More details HERE.

Director of Intercollegiate Athletics (St. Lawrence University / Canton, NY): Lead St. Lawrence University’s NCAA Division I hockey programs and 33 Division III/interdivisional sports, integrating Athletics with the campus community as a visionary leader. (DIII) More details HERE.

Assistant Athletics Director - Athletic Communications (Southeastern University / Lakeland, FL): Come to one of the fastest growing institutions in the country! The athletic communications department is well situated to support 20 sports. Applicants must be a mission-fit for a Christian school. (NAIA) More details HERE.

Senior Associate Athletic Director/Chief Financial Officer (University of North Georgia / Dahlonega, GA): The Senior Associate Athletic Director/Chief Financial Officer is a senior leadership position within the university's athletic department, providing strategic oversight of all financial operations More details HERE.

Athletic Trainer (Texas A&M International University / Laredo, TX): The Athletic Trainer prevents, cares for, and treats athlete injuries using modern training principles, collects drug testing samples, and supervises and educates student athletic trainers. More details HERE.

Director of Events and Event Services (University of Dayton / Dayton, OH): The University of Dayton's Athletics department is hiring for a Director of Events and Event Services for the historic University of Dayton Arena! This is a full-time benefit eligible position. (DI) More details HERE.

Head Softball Coach (Northern State University / Aberdeen, SD): Northern State University, home to Wolves athletics, sponsoring 15 NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports competing in the NSIC Athletic Conference is seeking a Head Softball Coach. More details HERE.

Director of Athletic Communications (Missouri Southern State University / Joplin, MO): The Director of Athletic Communications develops and executes media plans to generate support for the promotion of MSSU's athletics department and 15 NCAA DII athletic teams. More details HERE.

Head Coach - Women's Basketball (Washington University in St. Louis / St Louis, MO): The Head Coach - Women's Basketball will manage the daily operations of the program competing in the UAA as well as serve in an administrative capacity on the department’s Senior Leadership Team. (DIII) More details HERE.

Head Esports Coach (Spalding University / Louisville, KY): FT Head coach to start an Esports program that will report directly to the Director of Athletics and will coach and recruit for the program directly in line with all University guidelines. (DIII) More details HERE.

Sports Equipment Manager (Washington University in St. Louis / St Louis, MO): This position is responsible for managing all aspects of athletics equipment, uniforms and other department owned supplies. (DIII) More details HERE.

Assistant Track Coach (24-76) (Francis Marion University / Florence, SC): Francis Marion University, an NCAA Division II institution, invites applications for the position of Men’s and Women’s Track Assistant Coach. This is a full-time,10-month position. More details HERE.

Athletic Trainer (Wayne State University / Detroit, MI): The Athletic Trainer will assist in the administration, direction, operation and coverage of a NCAA sports medicine department for 17 men's and women's intercollegiate athletic teams. More details HERE.

Assistant Coach for Cross Country/Track & Field (Jessup University / Rocklin, CA): This is a full-time position that assists the Head Coach in all aspects of the operation of the Men's and Women's Cross Country/Track & Field Programs. More details HERE.

Assistant Director - Strategic Communications (Atlantic Coast Conference / Charlotte, NC): This position will assist with proactive communication initiatives that place our conference, its members institutions, and its 28 sponsored sports at the forefront of intercollegiate athletics. (DI) More details HERE.

Coordinator for Media Services in Athletics (University of Central Oklahoma / Edmond, OK): This position coordinates multimedia services (including setup, production and postproduction) for athletic events, meetings, and the like for UCO's 15-team NCAA Division II athletics department. More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Medicine / Head Athletic Trainer (Elizabeth City State University / Elizabeth City, NC): The Assistant Athletic Director of Sports Medicine/Head Athletic Trainer provides professional health care, instruction, prevention, rehabilitation, first aid, injury assessment, and counseling. More details HERE.

Head Men's Volleyball (Thomas More University / Crestview Hills, KY): Head Men's Volleyball coach in charge of all aspects of coaching an NCAA intercollegiate men's volleyball team. Currently transitioning from NAIA to NCAA DII. Send resume to: connort@thomasmore.edu More details HERE

Associate Head Strength and Conditioning Coach (University of Central Missouri / Warrensburg, MO): Assists in the development and implementation of strength and conditioning program for sports listed above with an emphasis on football and baseball. More details HERE.

Head Athletic Trainer (Albany State University / Albany, GA): Head Athletic Trainer for Division II program More details HERE.

Women’s and Men’s Swimming & Diving Assistant Coach and Athletics Communications Assistant (Massachusetts Institute of Technology – MIT / Cambridge, MA): Responsibilities include: recruiting, administration, budget management, alumni stewardship, scheduling of competitions, and support of athletic communications office. (DIII) More details HERE.

Head Men's & Women's Tennis Coach (Kutztown University of Pennsylvania / Kutztown, PA): The Department of Athletics at Kutztown University invites applications for the position of Head Men’s & Women’s Tennis Coach. More details HERE.

Athletic Trainer II (California State University – Chico / Chico, CA): The incumbent will perform the full range of athletic training functions to support the 13 varsity intercollegiate athletic teams sponsored by the Department of Athletics. More details HERE.

Assistant Softball Coach (Missouri Western State University / St Joseph, MO): The Assistant Softball Coach is responsible for assisting the Head Softball Coach w/ all aspects of the women’s softball sports program and monitors the development and wellbeing of student athletes. More details HERE.

Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach (Grand Valley State University / Allendale, MI): This position is responsible for all phases of the program and other duties as assigned by the Head Men’s Basketball Coach. More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information (Adelphi University / Garden City, NY): This position manages the daily operations of the Adelphi athletics sports information office including providing full coverage for all 23 athletic programs More details HERE.

Scholastic Supervisor (Texas A&M University / College Station, TX): The Center for Student-Athlete Services at Texas A&M University is seeking applicants for the position of Scholastic Supervisor for Men’s & Women’s Track & Field. The Job Requisition is R-074485. (DI) More details HERE.

Director of Marketing/Fan Experience (HR title: Marketing Specialist I) (Southern Methodist University – SMU / Dallas, TX): In collaboration with the Associate A.D of Marketing & Fan Experience, this position is responsible for assisting with the creation preeminent experiences for the SMU fans on gameday. (DI) More details HERE.

Assistant AD of Digital Marketing (HR title: Digital Marketing Specialist II) (Southern Methodist University – SMU / Dallas, TX): Working with the Associate A.D of Marketing & Fan Experience, this role is responsible for the development & execution of digital marketing campaigns focused on sport amplification & revenue generation. (DI) More details HERE.

Associate Director of Development (Fresno State / Fresno, CA): The Associate Director is responsible for identifying, prospecting, soliciting and stewarding both major gifts & annual scholarship fund donors. (DI) More details HERE.

Graduate Assistant - Football (St. Lawrence University / Canton, NY): St. Lawrence University is currently seeking applicants for a Graduate Assistant position for Football. This position is targeted toward graduate students seeking a master’s degree. (DIII) More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Trainer (St. Mary's University – Texas / San Antonio, TX): The Assistant Athletic Trainer is responsible for recognizing, treating, rehabilitating, and providing care and first aid to St. Mary's University intercollegiate student-athletes year-round. More details HERE.

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