Indiana University Athletics
Compliance Question Of The Week
Compliance Question Of The Week
Question:
Can I require voluntary workouts? Can I check up on my team?
Answer:
No and no. Here, read this:
A D1 university was required to give student-athletes a week off from all practice and CARA during the offseason after reporting a series of secondary NCAA rules violations.
It was reported to the NCAA that sport coaches had improperly questioned student-athletes about their lack of participation in voluntary offseason workouts, and that some student-athletes had been working out more than the allowed eight hours per week.
The violations were included in documents released to The Associated Press following an open records request.
According to a letter sent to an NCAA director of secondary enforcement, the university started an investigation after a student-athlete refused to sign a weekly practice log and then provided the compliance director with a recording of an assistant coach asking why the SA had missed a voluntary workout.
The investigation found that another coach also discussed attendance at the voluntary workouts with student-athletes, and a coach received reports from the strength coaches on who was participating.
The NCAA was also informed that secondary violations occurred when student-athletes went through Pilates sessions in addition to their offseason workouts; when sport coaches observed student-athletes' independent agility training and when certain student-athletes were required to repeat a conditioning drill. All three resulted in the student-athletes going over the NCAA's eight-hour weekly limit on required offseason workouts.
Other violations included a handful of self-reported impermissible text messages and phone calls by assistant coaches to recruits and their parents, and the team's website posting links to recruiting websites.
Yes - that's a totally true story. It perhaps comes as a surprise to some that a student-athlete would actually tape a coach telling them to do something otherwise impermissible. It does not surprise me. If you tell your 18 year-olds not to "tell", or to help you "hide" something or otherwise do something impermissible, that would not be prudent.
Voluntary workouts are exactly that. No more no less. No consequence for not doing them, and no reward for doing them......I HAD launched into a bit of a rant here, but have since decided against publishing it.
Question:
Can I require voluntary workouts? Can I check up on my team?
Answer:
No and no. Here, read this:
A D1 university was required to give student-athletes a week off from all practice and CARA during the offseason after reporting a series of secondary NCAA rules violations.
It was reported to the NCAA that sport coaches had improperly questioned student-athletes about their lack of participation in voluntary offseason workouts, and that some student-athletes had been working out more than the allowed eight hours per week.
The violations were included in documents released to The Associated Press following an open records request.
According to a letter sent to an NCAA director of secondary enforcement, the university started an investigation after a student-athlete refused to sign a weekly practice log and then provided the compliance director with a recording of an assistant coach asking why the SA had missed a voluntary workout.
The investigation found that another coach also discussed attendance at the voluntary workouts with student-athletes, and a coach received reports from the strength coaches on who was participating.
The NCAA was also informed that secondary violations occurred when student-athletes went through Pilates sessions in addition to their offseason workouts; when sport coaches observed student-athletes' independent agility training and when certain student-athletes were required to repeat a conditioning drill. All three resulted in the student-athletes going over the NCAA's eight-hour weekly limit on required offseason workouts.
Other violations included a handful of self-reported impermissible text messages and phone calls by assistant coaches to recruits and their parents, and the team's website posting links to recruiting websites.
Yes - that's a totally true story. It perhaps comes as a surprise to some that a student-athlete would actually tape a coach telling them to do something otherwise impermissible. It does not surprise me. If you tell your 18 year-olds not to "tell", or to help you "hide" something or otherwise do something impermissible, that would not be prudent.
Voluntary workouts are exactly that. No more no less. No consequence for not doing them, and no reward for doing them......I HAD launched into a bit of a rant here, but have since decided against publishing it.