NCAA nixes special clauses in LOI

[AdaSooner]

When basketball star Xavier Henry signed a letter of intent last fall to play for the University of Memphis, his agreement included an addendum stating the university would release him from that obligation if John Calipari were no longer the Tigers' coach.

Such deals now out of bounds in college sports.

The National Letter of Intent Policy and Review Committee sent a memo to member schools Thursday announcing that "institutions should be aware they are prohibited from establishing any additional conditions associated with the NLI agreement in advance of a prospective student-athlete signing the NLI."

http://www.sportingnews.com/college...-says-no-conditions-allowed-on-letters-intent

 

[coolm]

well...another ass whoopin' in store for the NCAA in court.

they are so stupid.

 

[campbest]

What a terrible, terrible rule.

I'd say a vast majority of collegiate players pick their school based on the relationship with the current coaching staff. What an absolute joke, if a regular student can confirm his attendance to a school then back out later (minus a few hundred dollar fee) then the athletes shouldn't be treated any different.

If I'm an elite athlete, I don't even sign a LOI...I just put in writing to the coach that I will be attending your institution. Why not bypass the whole bureaucratic NCAA process altogether?

 

[Sooner23]

I don't know how prevalent those clauses are, but if they're becoming the norm then we will probably see more and more kids waiting until the late period to see if the coach at the school they want to go to bolts or not.

 

[skyvue]

I'd say a vast majority of collegiate players pick their school based on the relationship with the current coaching staff.

I agree, but I think that has to change -- that student-athletes should be swayed to consider the school first and the coaching staff second, not the other way around.

Because considering coaching staff first is what punishes a program when its head coach leaves, as when Sampson departed OU.

Sorry, but OU shouldn't have lost those players. I understand that, with the attitudes, policies, and practices that are currently in place, a student-athlete is eager to head elsewhere when a coach leaves, but those practices, policies, and, over time, even those attitudes can be changed.

I don't know if this new rule achieves it, but rules should be put in place that make it clear to a student-athlete that he or she is -- or should be -- signing with the school, not the coach.

Individual programs take the brunt of the damage when a coach leaves, and usually, they've done nothing wrong. The coach gets what he wants (the new gig), the incoming recruits get what they want (a release from the commitment they made), and the school is left holding the bag.

That's not right. And if you implement rules that restrict the movement of committed student-athletes, it will change -- admittedly, not overnight, but over time.

 

[CrimsonOberon]

This rule seems pointless to me.

Relationships with coaches are as important as the school that is being chosen. Often times, the coach will be your mentor, father figure, and friend for however long you should choose to play at the school.

On the surface, I can see that the school often is punished for that, but it is the coaches who choose to go after athletes that need these clauses. A lot of these athletes are one-and-done or two-and-done type players, and one of the reasons they agree to come to your university is to play on a championship level team and have a chance to win a national championship.

With the previous coach still onboard, this is not a hollow promise when the team is already good and stocked with talent. If the coach leaves, things are uncertain, and you may see a year or two of growing pains to adjust to a new system - unless you hire a coach with a very polished track record and rep.

Remember that at the time we lost nearly that whole recruiting class Capel's first year, Jeff Capel did not have the reputation he has now. He didn't have multiple NCAA appearances, a deep Elite Eight run, the #1 overall draft pick in the NBA, college basketball's most explosive and dynamic guard, etc. He had none of those things; he was a new coach, from a smaller school, on his way up. If we had landed someone like Jay Wright or Calipari--coaches with more of a name at that time--I think all three of those guys would have stayed. In fact, I think if you substitute Jeff Capel now for Jeff Capel then, they still would be on the roster. Unfortunately, that's how the game is played.

It's up to a basketball program to recruit athletes that need clauses like these. If a rule like this is put in place to keep athletes from having these kinds of clauses, shouldn't coaches be forced to reveal their intentions and the possibility of their departure while recruiting these players? I'm pretty sure they leave out that little bit while recruiting. Could that not be considered misleading a recruit?

 

[Sooner79]

The real solution would be to eliminate recruiting altogether other than mailed information. Put the onus on the student athlete to research a program, pay for their own recruiting trips (no gratis from the program involved), and initiate their own applications the same as any other student. If they are good enough to be recruited as an academic applicant that would be different.....such as national merit scholars.

If and when they decided on a school then they could ask that school for a for one of it's available basketball scholarships.

 

[campbest]

The real solution would be to eliminate recruiting altogether other than mailed information. Put the onus on the student athlete to research a program, pay for their own recruiting trips (no gratis from the program involved), and initiate their own applications the same as any other student. If they are good enough to be recruited as an academic applicant that would be different.....such as national merit scholars.

If and when they decided on a school then they could ask that school for a for one of it's available basketball scholarships.

I hope you're joking.

The junior college ranks and NAIA would become the best ticket in town, tons of Division I athletes have no business being accepted to a major university.

 

[DenverSooner]

this is complete over reaching by the NCAA. How does it cause any issues if a school and player agree that the committmen is based on both the school and the coach. It is not like the clause says the player will follow the coach.

Honestly, I don't even see how the NCAA has a right to be involved in this contractracutal agreement. The Supreme Court screwed up when it ruled the NCAA was not a state actor and did not have to give due process. I would love to see the BCS schools all leave and start a new institution. The NCAA is not an ethical or well run organization.

 

[skyvue]

Honestly, I don't even see how the NCAA has a right to be involved in this contractracutal agreement.

For good or ill, the NCAA oversees the entire Letter of Intent process -- the rules governing it are theirs. They created the entire system, so of course they're involved.

Given that, I can understand them wanting to ensure there's a consistency from school to school in the process. I don't know how I feel about this particular action on their part, but overall, they do have a role to play in the process.

 

[Darwin]

A giant step up on the soap box. The system is screwed up!!! These are some ideas to make end of season coaching changes less volatile, including for the school that lost their coach.

a- To be eligible as a true freshman, the kid must sign a letter by Jan.1 or whatever date is set that is well before the coaching changes start.
b- The kid will not have to play where he doesn't want to play, if he changes his mind, he will have to redshirt. Isn't that the way it use to be.
c- A doesn't apply to Juco kids.
d- The head coach of the school should not be restricted from calling or visiting signed recruits. (unlike the restrictions on Coach Capel regarding the KS recruits.)

This will reduce kids leaving but as importantly, it will reduce bidding wars for coaches because the newly hired coach can't bring in a couple of Mcd AAs to play the next season. Schools can still get the coach but no quick fix. Some coaches may not jump around because they may have to work through a down season.

 

[Sooner79]

I hope you're joking.

I'm not. If they have no business being there then so be it. College is for getting an education not showcasing athletic talent. Besides, Capel wouldn't have had any problem with this approach and neither would guys like Harrison Barnes. I wouldn't worry too much about it though because the NCAA isn't really about integrity in athletics.

Another radical idea I've always thought should be incorporated into the grant-in-aid program is that all should be equal. Under the current system, a scholarship to Dook or Neutered Dame is worth more than one to OU or UNC because more money is involved. I believe any player on scholarship at OU, or any other state school, should receive the difference in dollars. How would the Dooks, Stanfords, USCs and NDs like to compete on a level playing field?

 

[Darwin]

I hope you're joking

I have to agree.

example.. Larry 2nd team all state center in a big state, does his research and decides to apply to Duke. Larry gets denied after 3wks of waiting and applies to Florida, after that OU, then Ark, KSU, every school in the pac 10, big10, wac etc. Finally Larry gets desperate and applies to osu but they are out of scollies because by then its June but they don't have anyone over 6'7" so they jerk one from a point guard and Larry gets to play.

 

[MsProudSooner]

The real solution would be to eliminate recruiting altogether other than mailed information. Put the onus on the student athlete to research a program, pay for their own recruiting trips (no gratis from the program involved), and initiate their own applications the same as any other student. If they are good enough to be recruited as an academic applicant that would be different.....such as national merit scholars.

If and when they decided on a school then they could ask that school for a for one of it's available basketball scholarships.

I guess that's one way to make the folks who think Texas players should never leave Texas happy.

Seriously. lots of these kids can't pay there way for an overnight trip anywhere, much less pay to go hundreds of miles away to visit a college.