In AP survey, ADs raise worries about women's college sports
A new AP survey of athletic directors and conversations with ADs and conference commissioners during March Madness show concern about what would happen to women's college sports under proposals that would put more money in the pockets of some athletes.
Emmert promises WBCA he will work to fix 'stark' inequities
(AP Photo/Eric Gay)SAN ANTONIO โ NCAA President Mark Emmert promised the Women's Basketball Coaches Association he will work with coaches to fix the โstark differenceโ between the Division I men's and women's tournaments. He asked Emmert what he could do to make sure those people give women's basketball the same advantages and opportunities. โMaybe thatโs what has to happen in womenโs basketball?โ Auriemma said. "Maybe womenโs basketball has got to separate itself from the other womenโs sports? Yet for the women's Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, only โNCAA Women's Basketballโ was in the middle of the court.
NCAA President to meet with protesting basketball players
The three players used the Twitter hashtag #NotNCAAProperty to raise awareness of what they believe are inequities in college sports two days before the menโs basketball tournament started in Indianapolis. The players had originally asked to meet with Emmert last week. The players urged him to meet with them sooner and Huma said the NCAA reached out this week to set up Thursday's meeting. The men's tournament is being held in Indianapolis, with the final two spots in the Final Four being determined Tuesday night. ___More AP college basketball coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and updated bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket
NCAA Board of Governors chair expresses confidence in Emmert
FILE - In this Feb. 11, 2020, file photo, NCAA President Mark Emmert testifies during a Senate Commerce subcommittee hearing on intercollegiate athlete compensation on Capitol Hill in Washington. AdBecause of the pandemic, the NCAA took the unprecedented step of staging both basketball tournaments in single geographic locations this year. DeGioia said Emmert has been attentive to the need for reform while negotiating the complications of the NCAA's shared governance structure. DeGioia made clear the board is with Emmert. ___More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
AP Interview: Emmert says poor communication led to inequity
โClearly we should have had better communication between my teams,โ Emmert said in a 30-minute interview with The Associated Press on Friday. "Clearly we should have really had a better focus on a number of those details that are hardly details, but are really, really important. โWe dropped the ball in San Antonio in the womenโs basketball tournament,โ Emmert said. Emmert said the popular nickname could be used for the women's tournament if organizers and those who support the game want it. โThe mark March Madness isnโt exclusively the menโs basketball mark and it wasnโt intended in that context,โ he said.
The Latest: Players seek fairness meeting with NCAA's Emmert
(AP Photo/Robert Franklin)The Latest on the second round of the NCAA Tournament (all times Eastern):___12:15 p.m. The leader of an organization that advocates for fairness in the treatment of college athletics has requested that NCAA President Mark Emmert meet via videoconference Tuesday with basketball players who launched the #NotNCAAProperty movement. AdโItโs really important what we did, to continue to create awareness,โ Bohannon said. โYou saw from the womenโs standpoint, a couple days ago, the women speaking out about the weight room being different. Look at Mark Emmert, he was nowhere to be found to answer any questions.
NCAA basketball players use biggest stage to deliver message
Lisa Moeller takes a photo of the NCAA bracket for the NCAA college basketball tournament on the side of the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis. The National College Players Association, a college athlete advocacy group, released a statement late Wednesday that detailed the players' goals. College athletes across the country were not only notable participants in Black Lives Matter demonstrations, but in some cases organized and led marches. Attorney Tim Nevius, a former NCAA investigator, said college athletes are increasingly aware of their power to effect change. AdโThese are warning shots,โ he said, โuntil theyโre not.โ___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at https://westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college basketball coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and updated bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket
Not NCAA Property: Players push for reform on social media
Isaiah Livers of Michigan, Geo Baker of Rutgers and Jordan Bohannon of Iowa were among those pushing for NCAA reforms with the hashtag #NotNCAAProperty. Earlier this year he was among several college athletes in Iowa to publicly back the state legislature's NIL bill. Football players from the Pac-12 threatened boycotts over concerns about COVID-19 protocols, social justice issues and economic rights for college athletes. Players also led movements to play after the Big Ten and Pac-12 canceled their fall football seasons โ only to reverse course and play abbreviated seasons. Now as players gather in the NCAA's hometown for its signature event they are again speaking up.
With NIL reform in limbo, NCAA heading toward busy June
Despite the current gridlock, Emmert said he is still hopeful the NCAA will have uniform national NIL rules in place before the start of next football season. The ruling did not include NIL compensation. Meanwhile, the NCAA is facing pressure from dozens of states that have bills in the works related to NIL compensation for college athletes. But lawmakers in Washington have other priorities right now and aren't likely to move on any of those bills until the Supreme Court weighs in. Currently, NCAA rules require Division I football, basketball, baseball and hockey players to sit out a season after transferring to another DI school.
Emmert: NCAA still expecting to get pay issue done in '21
FILE - In this April 4, 2019, file photo, NCAA President Mark Emmert answers questions during a news conference at the Final Four college basketball tournament in Minneapolis. More importantly, all of our college athletes are profoundly disappointed and I suspect even angry. Delrahim said the NCAAโs transfer rules could also be in conflict with antitrust laws. Emmert also voiced his opposition to critics who are pushing for schools in the Power Five conferences to break away from the NCAA and govern themselves. Emmert acknowledged, without naming football and men's basketball, that some sports generate significant revenue but that the NCAA model serves the interests of the participants.
NCAA D1 Council holds off on athlete compensation, transfers
โThe Council remains fully committed to modernizing Division I rules in ways that benefit all student-athletes,โ said Council chairwoman M. Grace Calhoun, athletics director at Pennsylvania. Also, athletes would not be permitted to endorse products or companies such as alcohol or gambling that conflict with NCAA values. Delrahim said the NCAAโs transfer rules could also be in conflict with antitrust laws. Another factor is that the turnover in Congress could slow the process of passing federal legislation the NCAA is seeking to create uniformity in NIL rules. Six states have passed bills allowing college athletes to cash in on their names, images and likenesses.
After DOJ warning, NCAA to delay vote on compensation rules
โUltimately, the antitrust laws demand that college athletes, like everyone else in our free market economy, benefit appropriately from competition,โ Delrahim wrote. Now, the next step in a process that began almost two years will be a meeting between Emmert and NCAA lawyers and DOJ officials. College sports officials have argued it would be impossible to manage a national organization if different states have different rules. No matter what NIL rules the NCAA comes up with, lawmakers likely will have the last word. And we warrant the ability to do that.โBut for now, the potentially historic change to NCAA rules is heading for indefinite hold.
Booker, Democratic lawmakers introduce NCAA reform bill
The College Athletes Bill of Rights is sponsored by U.S. The College Athletes Bill of Rights is sponsored by Sens. Booker and Blumenthal's bill, however, goes way beyond NIL rights for athletes and is not nearly as NCAA-friendly. Bohannon said during the pandemic college athletes, who are tested multiple times a week for COVID-19, have become essential workers. โ Establish a nine-member Commission on College Athletics, appointed by the president, that would include at least five former college athletes and individuals with legal expertise.
AP Interview: Emmert says NCAA must stay open to reform
FILE - In this Feb. 11, 2020, file photo, NCAA President Mark Emmert testifies during a Senate Commerce subcommittee hearing on intercollegiate athlete compensation on Capitol Hill in Washington. And the sporting world hasnโt collapsed,โ Emmert told AP. It recommended the creation of the National College Football Association, an independent body to oversee FBS. Major college football, the commission concluded, has created inequities across all NCAA sports and hinder the association's ability to govern equitably. Emmert called the recommendation โexactly the wrong thing to do.โ He told AP he agrees football has "an outsized influenceโ over college sports.
NCAA relocating 2021 March Madness tournament to one city
The NCAA announced Monday that the entire 2021 tournament will most likely be in Indianapolis and its surrounding areas. Usually, the beginning rounds of the tournament are hosted in different cities. Houston, for example, was set to host part of the Sweet 16 in 2020. Regional rounds were set to be played in Memphis, Denver, Minneapolis, Tennessee, and New York City. Indianapolis, which was already set to host host the 2021 Final Four, is also home to the NCAA headquarters.
After NIL, next NCAA challenge is restructuring Division I
The survey results went public the day before the NCAA Division I Council approved two proposals that will lift longstanding restrictions on college athletes. The survey found strong support for reforming the way Division I is governed (74%) and restructuring D-I altogether (73%). NCAA Division I is comprised of 351 schools that range from massive Power Five football schools such as Ohio State, Alabama and Texas to small private universities mostly focused on trying to access the lucrative NCAA menโs basketball tournament. She cited the conference-by-conference approach to staging this major college football season as an example of the NCAA's inability to bring leaders together to find big-picture solutions. ___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at https://westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Memo: NCAA to furlough its entire staff for 3-8 weeks
The NCAA will furlough its entire Indianapolis-based staff of about 600 employees for three to eight weeks in a cost-saving move, according to memo obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press. The memo from NCAA President Mark Emmert went out to the associations more than 1,200 member schools Wednesday. Starting Sept. 21 through the end of January 2021, all national office staff will be subjected to a mandatory three-week furlough, Emmert wrote. There decisions are unfortunate but necessary as we continue to identify ways to cut costs across the national office, Emmert wrote. The NCAA cut its annual distribution to Division I conferences and schools this year from an expected $600 million to $225 million.
Senators lay out plan for college athletes bill of rights
A group of senators led by Cory Booker of New Jersey and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut on Thursday released a plan for reforming college sports with an athletes bill or rights. The legislative plan calls for college athletes to have the ability to earn money for their names, images and likenesses with minimal restrictions, and much more. The senators also want to ensure for the athletes long-term medical coverage and treatment, enforceable medical standards, academic freedom and revenue sharing agreements. Booker and Blumenthal questioned Emmert about athlete welfare and said then their plan for a bill of rights was in the works. ___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Next in summer of player empowerment: Pac-12 players unite
(AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File)As college football leaders work to rescue a football season worth billions in revenue from the threat of COVID-19, the players have become emboldened. A group of Pac-12 players Sunday presented a list of demands on issues ranging from healthy and safety to racial justice to economic rights. The players claim more than 400 of their Pac-12 peers have been communicating through a group chat app about a possible boycott. I think its all attainable, said attorney Tim Nevius, a former NCAA investigator who has now represents college players in cases involving NCAA issues. These recent events have put a spotlight on critical issues in college sports.___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Graham on NCAA compensation rules: Weโve got to do something
Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., takes his seat, Wednesday, July 22, 2020, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to examine protecting the integrity of college athletics, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Graham on NCAA compensation rules: Weve got to do something
Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., takes his seat, Wednesday, July 22, 2020, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to examine protecting the integrity of college athletics, on Capitol Hill in Washington. The NCAA is in the process of crafting legislation to change change its rules and permit college athletes to earn money for things like endorsement and sponsorship deals, appearance fees and social media promotions. But it's very important to note the NCAA is not seeking a broad-based antitrust exemption as some people have suggested. The NCAA wants to have some regulation of name, image and likeness compensation to prevent payments to athletes from being used as inducements in recruiting. The (Power Five) proposals are too restrictive to benefit college athletes, Booker said.