Today the NCAA Legislative Council voted to add, pending approval from the NCAA Board of Directors, to add the following:
All student athletes in an athletics program, walk-on and scholarship, will get unlimited meals and snacks from the university.
Require Strength and Conditioning coaches to be certified.
Require a staff member to be certified in CPR and AED usage, and to be present at all training activities
Reduce drug penalty (first strike) from full season to half season
Require football players to rest for at least three hours between practices during the preseason. (Film review and tam meetings excluded)
I think this is in an interesting move given all the issues of athletes saying they can't afford food, and also in light of the union rulings. Question is, has this been in plan for a while, or is this more of a last minute idea to help in the recent events?
Everyone's opinion on the issue?
Comments
I thought athletes already had unlimited meal plans? or was that just not 'sanctioned'?
I believe at VT they get a full refill once per semester (so almost $1600 each semester, already including the 1/2 off that meal plans get you), and then it's done. It also get's a bit more complicated once they move off campus.
Source: Helped use my athlete friend's remaining money to by about a years supply of Powerade last year.
Don't we also have nutritionists that provide snacks and meals in the football locker room player lounge? I'm sure I've read this multiple times.
There are a bunch of bagels and fruits and nuts and stuff. Power food if you will. And we have one nutritionist with one GA and a handful of student helpers for the entire athletic department. Football players use the lounge, Basketball has stuff in their locker rooms in Hahn Hurst and everyone else uses the OASIS.
All student athletes in an athletics program, walk-on and scholarship, will get unlimited meals and snacks from the university.
This wasn't already a thing?
Require Strength and Conditioning coaches to be certified.
This wasn't already a thing?
Require a staff member to be certified in CPR and AED usage, and to be present at all training activities
This wasn't already a thing?
Reduce drug penalty (first strike) from full season to half season
Does this refer to performance enhancing drugs, or get-you-high drugs? I guess the NCAA should have some oversight on PEDs, but I don't understand why they're an authority on other illegal drugs. It's interesting to know the things the NCAA takes ownership of, versus what they delegate to the conferences and schools.
Require football players to rest for at least three hours between practices during the preseason. (Film review and tam meetings excluded)
This is a good rule. I have read quotes and heard firsthand from from former players who have detailed the grind of D-1 player's daily schedule. Essentially, they work two full time jobs, student and athlete. Making sure these kids aren't being worked to the bone makes sense to me.
Additionally, this is my favorite take on the new legislation.
I also find the drug rule interesting. They must have a list to which drugs they mean but overall not a fan of this one. Others I like.
I would have liked to have seen something like this included:
medical coverage for student athletes by universities for sports related injuries for up to 4 years after graduation, unless the player goes pro or plays sports elsewhere.
They should make 2nd offense more severe to counteract the less severe 1st offense.
yeah, and I should clarify why I dislike it.
I understand that young kids mess up and make mistakes. I'm all for giving them the leniency to correct those mistakes and change. What i don't like about the rule change is that I see less ethical coaches taking even more liberties in not holding their players accountable for such actions.
So I think a better countermeasure would be a penalty against programs who are consistently light on self-punishment for these things.
Reading the article again quickly makes it seems to say all the drug related stuff deals with street drugs and marijuana, and not PEDs at least.
Looked at the meals thing also, it looks like previously the meal plan issue was 3 meals a day or stipends. So technically nothing like DX runs would have been happening on the books.
Hmmm... Unlimited meals and snacks + reduced penalties for first time marijuana offense. Methinks there is a connection there.
Also, good thing Oregon has Phil Knight money, they are going to need it.
I would guess PEDs, since you don't get suspended for a year for the "get you high drugs" until the third strike I believe (at VT anyway since it may actually be a by school rule).
On the radio this morning people were saying that this was a reaction to Napier talking about going to bed hungry. I'm not sure I buy that entirely. I think the NW'ern ruling may have had something to do with this.
Am I the only one thinking "I was hungry in university too." when this kid said that? I mean, I get that benefits need to improve for the student athlete but is it that he really doesn't have food to eat or that on his school provided meal plan he just not allowed eat as much as he would like to?
I had the flex plan and my first year I had to beg people to pay for food because I used it up too fast. My second year I found some lovely young ladies that ate half a salad and and apple slice for every meal and went to lunch and dinner with them. They would buy my meals every time because they normally had more than half their amount left over. So these things can be worked out if properly motivated.
or am I not understanding that correctly?
After reading the "Bag Man" article from earlier, I sincerely doubt a major contributor on either a FB or BB team from a major institution ever "goes to bed hungry." When I saw that interview, all I could do was roll my eyes.
The athletes who will benefit the most from the unlimited meals rule are the walk-ons. Meals plans are factored into scholarships, but the walk-on guys are left to fend for themselves. As a former walk-on, it's good to see that rule.
I would be up for unlimited West End, D2, Owens, HoGrille, and Turner Street Place.
I remember seeing Ryan Shuman in Dietrick (the hall before D2 was born) every single day for lunch - I'm sure he would have appreciated the unlimited meals too.
Now my next question is what happens when they find the athletes selling food for cash?
Not really much they can do about it unless there is a general clause of any athlete found to be abusing a benefit for monetary gain will have x happen.
Id imagine the all u can eat variety of food will be contained in a controlled environment like a cafeteria with only certain items and amounts for take home. "ill take 15 rotisseri chickens to go please!"
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