NCAA Increases Amount of Time Coaches Can Meet With Players Virtually
Photo courtesy of BCeagles.com
The NCAA is going to allow coaches to meet with players more virtually according to a press release today:
Division I coaches in all sports will be allowed more virtual connection with their teams beginning Monday, April 20, and continuing through May 31, the Division I Council Coordination Committee determined Wednesday.
At the recommendation of the Collegiate Commissioners Association Compliance Administrators, committee members voted to allow teams in all sports to require up to eight hours per week of virtual nonphysical countable activities like film review, chalk talks and team meetings. At the request of the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, the committee also will require student-athletes to be provided at least one day off per week.
All required physical athletics activities continue to be prohibited due to the legislated requirement that a sports-safety certified staff member be present during such activities.
Teams in all sports also are prohibited from requiring any activities beginning one week before the start of a school’s final examination period for the Spring 2020 academic term through the conclusion of the final examination period for the term.
“This change not only allows coaches to continue to educate their student-athletes but also fosters the connectivity that comes with team-based activities,” said Council chair M. Grace Calhoun, athletics director at Penn. “Regular, individual check-ins between student-athletes and coaches remain permissible and are encouraged.”
When all spring sports were canceled earlier this year, NCAA rules then considered all sports to be out of season, with out-of-season conditioning rules applying. This limited what coaches could ask of their student-athletes.
The coordination committee committed to reevaluating the access in mid-May to determine whether extension or amendment of the access is appropriate.
According to Bryan Fischer of CFTalk said that this memo means that teams can hold "virtual nonphysical countable activities like film review, chalk talks and team meetings." Per various reports, the amount of hours has increased from four to eight hours per week. This is good news for new coaches like Jeff Hafley, who need as much time as they can with his new program. They can work more on gamefilm, talk about the playbook and try and get everyone on the same page before they are able to hit the field again.