NCAA Grants Fall Athletes Additional Year of Eligibility, Regardless of Play Status
The NCAA Board of Governors approved legislation on Friday afternoon that will grant all fall college athletes an additional year of eligibility due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The added year of eligibility will be enforced regardless of the play status of the fall athletes, granting athletes of conferences who are hosting fall sports like the SEC, ACC and Big 12 the same eligibility as those in conferences with cancelled sports like the Big Ten and PAC 12.
With the blanket waiver status approved, the NCAA hopes that it will help schools make better-informed decisions regarding fall sports.
In addition to the added year of eligibility, the NCAA also announced that it will be working towards hosting fall sports championships.
“We want to provide opportunities for student-athletes whenever possible,” said acting board chair Denise Trauth, president of Texas State in a statement. “We understand it will be complicated and different, and we’re not certain how it will look. But we believe it’s important to try to give students that championship experience.”
Here is a full breakdown of the approvals now enforced by the NCAA, as listed in its statement:
All protections are effective immediately.
Earlier in the day on Friday, the Southeastern Conference also announced that it will be expanding its health measures in order to better protect student athletes.
"The SEC's initial medical response plan for confirmed infected individuals called for a cardiac evaluation for those individuals returning to activity following isolation," a statement from the conference reads. "The SEC's Return to Activity and Medical Guidance Task Force has now specified the cardiac evaluation would mandate a troponin level, electrocardiogram, echocardiogram and a medical evaluation by a physician."
The added measures also include a now-mandatory third COVID-19 test to be performed weekly in addition to the original two tests.
"We remain vigilant in monitoring the trends and effects of COVID-19 as we learn more about the virus, and this cardiac evaluation enhances the effectiveness of the protocols already in place," SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said. "We are confident in our institutions' ability to provide a healthy environment supported by rigorous testing and surveillance. Our student-athletes have indicated their desire to compete and it is our responsibility to make every effort to deliver a healthy and medically sound environment for providing that opportunity."
The 14 institutions of the conference have also pledged to honor all fall athletic scholarships for players who choose to opt out of their respective 2020 seasons.
