PLEASE DIRECT ALL NCAA COMPLIANCE QUESTIONS TO:
Sheena Dean
Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance
Phone: 573-681-5953
E-mail: deans2@lincolnu.edu
NCAA GENERAL PRINCIPLES AND UNETHICAL CONDUCT
General Principle
Honesty and Sportsmanship. Individuals employed by (or associated with) a member institution to administer, conduct or coach intercollegiate athletics, and all participating student-athletes, shall deport themselves with honesty and sportsmanship at all times so that intercollegiate athletics as a whole, their institutions and they, as individuals, shall represent the honor and dignity of fair play and the generally recognized high standards associated with wholesome competitive sports.
Unethical Conduct
Unethical conduct by a prospective or enrolled student-athlete or a current or former institutional staff member may include, but is not limited to, the following:
(a) Refusal to furnish information relevant to an investigation of a possible violation of an NCAA regulation when requested to do so by the NCAA of the individual’s institution;
(b) Knowing involvement in arranging for fraudulent academic credit or false transcripts for a prospective or an enrolled student-athlete;
(c) Knowing involvement in offering or providing a prospective or an enrolled student-athlete an improper inducement or extra benefit; or improper financial aid;
(d) Knowingly furnishing the NCAA or the individual’s institution false or misleading information concerning the individual’s involvement in or knowledge of a violation of matters relevant to a possible violation of an NCAA regulation; or
(e) Receipt of benefits by an institutional staff member for facilitating or arranging a meeting between a student-athlete and an agent, financial advisor or a representative of an agent or advisor (e.g., “runner”).
(f) Knowingly providing a student-athlete with a banned substance, impermissible supplement, or medications contrary to medical licensure, commonly accepted standards of care in sports medicine practice, or state or federal laws.
(g) Failure to provide complete and accurate information to the NCAA or institution's admissions office regarding an individual's academic record (e.g., schools attended, completion of coursework, grades, test scores).
(h) Fraudulence or misconduct in connection with entrance or placement examinations.
(i) Engaging in any athletics competition under an assumed name or with intent otherwise to deceive.
(j) Failure to provide complete and accurate information to the NCAA, the NCAA Eligibility Center or the institution's athletic department regarding an individual's amateur status.
A representative of athletics interest is anyone who has:
- Participated in or is a member of an organization promoting the institution’s athletics program;
- Contributed to the athletic department or its booster club;
- Assisted or have been requested by the athletic department staff to assist in the recruitment of prospects;
- Assisted in providing benefits to enrolled student-athletes or their families; or
- Been involved in otherwise promoting the institution’s athletics program.
Once an individual is identified as a representative of the institution’s athletics interest, the person retains that identity indefinitely.
A prospective student-athlete (PSA or "prospect") is a student who has started classes for the ninth grade. A student who has not started ninth grade becomes a prospect if the institution provides such an individual (or the individual’s relatives or friends) any financial assistance or other benefits that the institution does not provide to prospective students generally, so it is recommended to treat all athletes as prospects.
Actions by athletics staff members or athletics representatives that cause a prospective student-athlete to become a prospect are:
- Providing the prospect with an expense paid visit to an institution;
- Having an arranged, in-person, off-campus encounter with the prospect or the prospect’s parents or legal guardians; or
- Initiating or arranging a telephone contact with the prospect, family member or guardian for the purpose of recruitment.
A contact is any face-to-face encounter between a prospect, or the prospect’s parents, relatives, or legal guardian, and an institutional staff member or athletics representative during which a dialogue occurs in excess of a greeting.
A student-athlete is a student whose enrollment was solicited by a member of the athletics staff or other representative of athletics interests with view toward the student’s ultimate participation in the intercollegiate athletics program.
Recruiting is any solicitation of a prospect or a prospect’s family member (or guardian) by an institutional staff member who has passed an NCAA Recruiting Test, for the purpose of securing the prospect’s enrollment and ultimate participation in the institution’s intercollegiate athletics program.
An extra benefit is any special arrangement by an institutional employee or an athletics representative to provide a student-athlete or the student-athlete’s relatives or friends with a benefit not expressly authorized by NCAA legislation.
DON'T:
Make any contact with a prospect or the prospect’s family on or off campus. If a Barry coach has a prospect at an athletic event, you should not approach the coach until after the prospect and family have gone elsewhere. If you are approached by a prospect off campus regarding the institution’s athletics program, suggest that the prospect contact the institution for information.
Become directly or indirectly involved in making arrangements for a prospect, the prospect’s relatives or friends to receive money or financial aid of any kind.
Transport, pay or arrange for payment of transportation costs for a prospect or the prospect’s relatives or friends to visit the campus.
Provide room and/or board, transportation of any kind or any other benefit to a prospect during the summer prior to enrollment.
Provide ANYTHING to or for a prospect, or the prospect’s relatives or friends without first checking with the institution’s athletic department.
Provide tickets, transportation or entertain high school, prep school or community college COACHES at ANY location.
Contact any enrolled student-athlete at another institution for the purpose of encouraging them to transfer and participate in another institution’s athletic program.
Contact the prospect’s coach, principal, or counselor for the purpose of evaluating the prospect. You are not permitted to pick up films or transcripts from the prospect’s educational institution.
DO:
Feel free to attend high school and community college athletic events. You simply cannot have any contact with the prospect or their relatives.
Continue longtime established family relationships with friends and neighbors. Contacts with sons and daughters of these families are permitted as long as they are not made for recruiting purposes and are not initiated by a Barry coaching staff member.
Feel free to attend a public event (e.g., a high school award banquet or dinner) at which prospects are in attendance. However, no attempt should be made to recruit prospects at those events.
Send the Barry coaching staff any newspaper clippings or other information about prospects that you think would be of interest and let the coaching staff make the appropriate contact with the prospect.
CONTACT WITH CURRENTLY ENROLLED STUDENT-ATHLETES
DON'T
Provide a student-athlete, their relatives or friends any benefit or special arrangement (e.g., use of an automobile, promise of employment after graduation, discounted prices or free services or products to a student-athlete). The NCAA considers these “extra benefits” and they are specifically prohibited.
Provide payment of any expenses (e.g., room, board, transportation) for friends or relatives to visit the student-athletes where they are enrolled.
Expend funds to entertain student-athletes, their friends or relatives.
Use the name or picture of an enrolled student-athlete to directly advertise, recommend or promote sales or the use of a commercial product or service of any kind.
Provide any payment of expense or loan of any automobile for a student-athlete.
Provide awards or gifts to student-athletes for their athletic performance. All awards must conform to NCAA regulations and must be approved by the institution.
DO
Feel free to invite a student-athlete to your home for a home cooked meal but only infrequently on special occasions (e.g., birthday, Thanksgiving). Also, you may provide transportation for the student-athlete to attend the meal function at your home.
Feel free to invite a team for dinner at your home or to meet with a group of alumni in a city where they are competing. The NCAA permits student-athletes AS A TEAM to receive special benefits not permitted as individuals. Arrangements for such events must be made in advance with the athletic department.
EMPLOYMENT OF PROSPECTS AND ENROLLED STUDENT-ATHLETES
DON'T
Employ or arrange for the employment of a prospect or enrolled student-athlete without checking first with the athletic department.
Provide transportation for prospects or student-athletes whom you employ unless transportation is provided for all other employees.
Provide student-athletes employment during the academic year without contacting the athletic department.
DO
Pay student-athletes employed by you only for work actually performed and at the same rate for similar services in the community and your own business.
Notify the athletic department of employment possibilities for student-athletes.
BASIC RULES OF THUMB TO FOLLOW
Only coaches and athletic department staff members can be involved in the recruiting process.
A prospect remains a prospect even after signing a National Letter of Intent or financial aid agreement to attend the institution. The prospect’s status does not change until initial full-time enrollment at the institution or until the prospect begins official team practice immediately prior to the start of classes.
Do not provide any “extra benefits” or make special arrangements for the prospect OR to an enrolled student-athlete.
You can assist the coaching staff in the recruiting process by notifying them of any student you think would be a strong addition to the institution’s athletic program. The coach can then make the appropriate contact with the prospect.
As an athletics representative, you are not precluded from continuing friendships with the families of prospective or enrolled student-athletes. You simply cannot encourage a prospect’s participation in a specific institution’s athletics program or provide benefits to student-athletes that you were not providing before they became prospects or enrolled student-athletes.
