Athletics Veritas is a weekly series aimed at helping higher education executives, faculty, and other stakeholders stay tuned in on trending national issues impacting college athletics, especially NCAA Division I. Athletics Veritas is created by senior DI athletic administrators around the nation.
Term-In-Ology: Student-Athlete’s Ability to Opt Out
Although not an official term of art found in the NCAA Division I Manual, “opt out” has become a buzzword in college athletics circles in recent days.
In a nutshell, a Division I student-athlete has the ability to “opt out” of athletic activities such as practice, conditioning, and competition this fall (and potentially beyond) without compromising their scholarship in light of health and safety considerations related to the pandemic.
In a press release this week, the NCAA Board of Governors confirmed that if a student-athlete opts out, the student-athlete’s athletics scholarship must still be honored provided they remain enrolled (whether online, hybrid, or in-person). The opt-out decision really boils down to whether a student-athlete wants to physically be in their sport program’s facilities, training room, fields, courts, and so on or if they prefer to hit the pause button this fall on their athletics participation.
Division I institutions’ athletics compliance departments are cobbling together opt-out forms for student-athletes to document their decisions. Opt-out forms generally would spell out the different access, benefits, and services a student-athlete would forego (e.g., access to weight-room; participation in practice and competition; team incidental meals; equipment and apparel) during the opt-out period. Further, the form would also spell out the access, benefits, and services that would continue to be available to student-athletes during their opt out period (e.g., athletics scholarship; virtual team building/development meetings; virtual counseling; virtual academic advising). The emphasis on virtual activities reflects the reality that student-athletes may be moving home and taking online or hybrid courses as well as the need for separation of a student-athlete not subject to the health and safety protocols in place for a Division I team this fall.
Division I institutions are also fine-tuning what the “opt-in” process looks like if and when a student-athlete, for example, seeks to return in January to school and to full athletics participation. Such re-entry will inevitably include the head coach, athletic trainer, academic advisor, compliance and sport administrator vetting the re-entry from all-sides.
Lastly, the opt-out process due to COVID-19 health risks is distinct from student-athletes who still want to practice and train with their team in their school’s facilities, but may want to redshirt and avoid using a season of competition. The NCAA Division I Council has recommended to the Division I Board of Governors to grant leeway for fall sport student-athletes. Specifically, the recommendation would allow fall sport student-athletes to play up to 50% of the maximum permitted contests in their sport per NCAA Division I Bylaw 17 without burning one of their four seasons of competition. This legislative flexibility would afford student-athletes in Division I conferences still considering a truncated fall competition schedule some peace of mind in their prospective decision to compete this fall.
Athletics Veritas is presented for information purposes only and should not be considered advice or counsel on NCAA compliance matters. For guidance on NCAA rules and processes, always consult your university’s athletics compliance office, conference office, and/or the NCAA.
