NASHVILLE – In a concept being considered by college leaders, athletes could play five full seasons of competition over a five-year span while eliminating redshirts, waivers and other exceptions for additional seasons of eligibility.
In what would be a significant change to the eligibility rules, the idea is in the early stages of the association’s labyrinthine approval process and has not reached the point of formal proposed legislation. The discussion arises in the weeks after a Tennessee court’s decision. extending eligibility of Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia.
While the “5 on 5” rule has long been discussed in NCAA circles, the idea has emerged as a potentially urgent matter to simplify and, perhaps, resolve a new brewing attack on another set of basketball rules. the NCAA: this time, eligibility. . Any eligibility changes are likely to follow the imminent passage of the House antitrust deal in April and are one of many long-standing rules that the NCAA said this summer could undergo a “comprehensive review” as part of the post-deal world of athlete income. -exchange.
University leaders are exploring the possibility at the NCAA’s annual convention here in Nashville, an appropriate venue for such an event. Pavia competes at a school a few miles away.
“I think there’s a five-five model being considered that could simplify things, eliminate bureaucracy and there would be a lot more security for student-athletes,” said Baylor President Linda Livingstone, chair of the NCAA Board of Governors. . he told Yahoo Sports on Wednesday. “It is a very interesting model to discuss. In theory, it seems like an interesting solution that would simplify things a lot. As I understand it, there are no redshirts or exemptions. “You can play five seasons but you only have five years.”
Eligibility is the latest NCAA rule in the courts’ crosshairs.
Last month, a Tennessee court granted a preliminary injunction filed by Pavia that extends his eligibility by one year, agreeing with the Commodores QB that his seasons as a college player should not count against his four-year NCAA eligibility limit. . In response, the NCAA granted an additional year of eligibility to all those athletes in a situation similar to that of Pavia – those who played at least one year in college and whose NCAA eligibility was scheduled to expire this academic year.
Current NCAA eligibility rules allow an athlete to play four full seasons over a five-year span and grant them the ability to play a portion of a fifth season while wearing a “redshirt.” Athletes who have already used their redshirt season may also request additional years of eligibility for various reasons, particularly late-season injuries and other issues that may have prohibited them from completing a full season.
Under one version of the 5 in 5 model, waivers and redshirts are eliminated, a way to end subjective decisions that often lead to legal entanglements. Exceptions for religious missions and military service are the subject of debate, according to those participating in the discussions.
“One of the challenges we’ve had with the question of eligibility is that there are exemptions,” Livingstone said. “Partly because of the legal environment, if one is denied an exemption, there is an incentive to challenge it. It has almost become difficult to deny any exemption. The question then becomes: ‘Why do they have a model that includes exemptions?’”
The NCAA is fighting at least two cases over eligibility rules: the Pavia case and one in Mississippi, where a Southern Miss basketball player is suing the association seeking an extra year of eligibility. Both cases could result in the dismantling of the NCAA’s eligibility rules in a similar way to how courts struck down the association’s ban on athlete compensation and its restrictive transfer policies.
However, the 5-in-5 idea may not solve all the problems, says SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. The concept was first introduced in the early 1990s and has been considered repeatedly over the years, off and on, he said.
“It’s an interesting conversation, but there are a lot of things that need to be understood,” he told Yahoo Sports. “Why is this the right idea? Can the NCAA really escape its waiver-granting behavior? Will schools stop requesting waivers? What is the relationship of this proposed change to the current legal environment? Does it solve problems or create more concerns? How does a five-year eligibility model change access to college athletic opportunities for students entering from high school? “These and other questions must be answered during an ongoing conversation about the idea of five-year eligibility.”
ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, a member of the Board of Governors, the NCAA’s highest governing body, says the discussion on 5 on 5 should continue, but other pressing issues have taken priority, such as the agreement on the Chamber, the governance structure, etc. in.
“Is this good for student-athletes?” Phillips asks. “Will our institutions have the discipline not to seek exemptions, legal measures? What effect does this have on high school seniors and the staff compression they have felt during Covid? We should certainly discuss it as we look to the future, but I am certainly not ready to endorse it at this time.”