NCAA denies waiver for sports minimums to remain in FBS
The NCAA made it more difficult Friday for schools to eliminate sports if they wish to remain in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Group of Five commissioners, including the Mountain West’s Craig Thompson, had asked for a series of temporary waivers as athletic departments cope with the financial fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, including operating with fewer than the minimum 16 sports.
The NCAA’s Division I Council ruled it was considering some of the proposals, but would not approve changing the minimum number of sports required. The NCAA would, however, consider exceptions on a case-by-case basis.
“Higher education is facing unique challenges, and the Division I leadership believes it’s appropriate to examine areas in which rules can be relaxed or amended to provide flexibility for schools and conferences,” Council chairwoman M. Grace Calhoun, Pennsylvania’s athletic director, said in a statement. “We will prioritize student-athlete well-being and opportunities balanced with reducing costs associated with administering college sports, but a blanket waiver of sport sponsorship requirements is not in keeping with our values and will not be considered.”
The NCAA also announced it would delay the vote until January 2021 on whether to allow undergradute transfers to compete immediately. Graduate student-athletes already are free to transfer immediately and now can pursue undergraduate degrees at their new school.
Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.
