NCAA Board of Directors suspends unlimited calls and texts rule
Several coaches have been critical of NCAA President Mark Emmert and the Rules Working Group's handling of looser restrictions for contacting recruits. (Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
The NCAA's Division I Board of Directors on Thursday suspended the rule adopted in January allowing football coaches to communicate with recruits via unlimited text messages and phone calls.
The NCAA cited more than 75 override requests and a Rules Working Group recommendation as providing impetus for reconsidering the looser restrictions. The Rules Working Group has proposed developing a model to test the recruiting limits before lifting the suspension.
The NCAA's suspension does not affect recruiting rules adopted for men’s and women’s basketball.
“We are supportive of moving as aggressively as possible while still studying the issues with due diligence,” said Board chair Nathan Hatch, president at Wake Forest University. “It’s important to make sure all the pieces of the recruiting model work together to make the most effective change in the culture.”
The board's deregulation of NCAA coaches contacting high school recruits was met with widespread criticism and concern upon its passing in January. Coaches and athletic directors have questioned President Mark Emmert's Rules Working Group for excluding them from the process of recommending rule changes.
The Board of Directors also suspended or tabled three other recruiting-related rules earlier this year:
- Eliminating rules defining recruiting roles
- Permitting earlier contact with recruits
- Eliminating restrictions on printed recruiting materials
