Report: Ivy League Did Not Approve Extended Eligibility for Fifth-Year Athletes

Ivy League presidents did not approve a one-time exception for fifth-year student athletes despite the NCAA granting spring athletes an extra year of eligibility on Monday, according to The Athletic's Dana O'Neil.

Although the NCAA allows athletes to use their four years of eligibility within a five-year span, the Ivy League does not follow this protocol. The league requires athletes to use their eligibility during the first four years of their enrollment and doesn't allow medical redshirts. Sometimes if athletes suffer injuries that would allow them to redshirt, they transfer to other conferences and use their final year of eligibility as a graduate student.

The league's reported vote will keep student athletes from receiving an extra year of eligibility like other conferences after the NCAA's decision. Seniors at Ivy League schools cannot circumvent the decision by becoming grad transfers because they'd count against the scholarship limits that the NCAA waived for spring sports.

Winter sports, including basketball, were not included in the NCAA's extended eligibility.

"Division I rules limit student-athletes to four seasons of competition in a five-year period," the NCAA wrote in a statement on Monday. "The Council’s decision allows schools to self-apply waivers to restore one of those seasons of competition for student-athletes who had competed while eligible in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 spring season."

The Athletic's Nicole Auerbach reported spring athletes will be able to return to their respective schools in 2020-21, though programs will be forced to "offer less [or zero] aid or match what they provided this year."

The idea of giving spring sport athletes an extra year of eligibility came with some logistical hurdles, such as how such a proposal would affect roster size limitations and programs' financial situations. Last week, the NCAA announced a massive slashing of revenue distribution to member schools for 2020, a response to lost revenue during the shutdown of sports, including the cash cow that is the men's NCAA tournament. 

Earlier this month, the NCAA canceled March Madness and all winter and spring championships due to the coronavirus pandemic. The decision sparked an outcry from players, coaches and athletic directors, particularly seniors who had their final seasons come to a sudden halt. The move even prompted Iowa track and field senior Allison Wahrman to create a petition asking the NCAA to grant seniors another year of eligibility.

One day before the NCAA's decision, the Ivy League voted to suspend spring competitions for the rest of the year.