Indiana University Athletics
Compliance Question Of The Week
Compliance Question Of The Week
Question:
I'm going recruiting and the organizers want to pay for my room and flight? Is that OK?
Answer:
No! Below is a recent educational column from the NCAA, please read it and the comments following to understand the rules related to accepting payment or benefits in order to attend an event for recruiting purposes.
Educational Column
Expenses from a Recruiting Service or Event Operator: October 6, 2011
NCAA member institutions should note that all funds for the recruitment of prospective student-athletes shall be deposited directly with the member institution, which shall be exclusively and entirely responsible for the manner in which such funds are expended. Therefore, it is not permissible forany outside organization or individual (e.g., recruiting or scouting service, event operator)to provide institutional coaching staff members with expenses (e.g., travel, lodging) to attend any event for recruiting purposes. Such expenses are considered funds donated for recruiting purposes and such funds must be deposited directly with the member institution, as opposed to being provided directly to an institutional coaching staff member(s). Further, any individual or organization that provides funds directly to the athletics department would be considered a representative of athletics interests and subject to all legislation applicable to that status (e.g., contact, telephone and evaluation restrictions).
So, if people or groups wish to pay you directly, or to cover your expenses in order to attend a recruiting event, that cannot occur. That payment/benefit must be made to the athletics department itself, which would thereby make that person or group an IU booster unable to have interaction with any of our recruits. Notably, scouting/recruiting service operators and/or event operators should NOT be paying for you or providing free accommodation/food for you to attend their events.. Let me know if you have questions about accepting payments or benefits to attend events, and in general be leery of all things scouting/recruiting services.
And now NCAA REFORM:
While we are not quite ready to devote an entire Question of the Week to NCAA Reform, the subject cannot be ignored! Yesterday and today provided an enormously significant amount of change to the way we operate and will no doubt produce a plethora of pertinent probes. Questions, that is - and your friends in the compliance office are trying to get to where we can actually answer some of them! Be aware that the Presidents (who are instrumentally behind the reform) agreed that the new movement should start with the big picture and not initially get bogged down in details, as a normal legislative cycle and proposals might and does. So, we do not have all the answers on the specifics of these changes just yet because they started at the top with general principles and the details will follow.
Question:
I'm going recruiting and the organizers want to pay for my room and flight? Is that OK?
Answer:
No! Below is a recent educational column from the NCAA, please read it and the comments following to understand the rules related to accepting payment or benefits in order to attend an event for recruiting purposes.
Educational Column
Expenses from a Recruiting Service or Event Operator: October 6, 2011
NCAA member institutions should note that all funds for the recruitment of prospective student-athletes shall be deposited directly with the member institution, which shall be exclusively and entirely responsible for the manner in which such funds are expended. Therefore, it is not permissible forany outside organization or individual (e.g., recruiting or scouting service, event operator)to provide institutional coaching staff members with expenses (e.g., travel, lodging) to attend any event for recruiting purposes. Such expenses are considered funds donated for recruiting purposes and such funds must be deposited directly with the member institution, as opposed to being provided directly to an institutional coaching staff member(s). Further, any individual or organization that provides funds directly to the athletics department would be considered a representative of athletics interests and subject to all legislation applicable to that status (e.g., contact, telephone and evaluation restrictions).
So, if people or groups wish to pay you directly, or to cover your expenses in order to attend a recruiting event, that cannot occur. That payment/benefit must be made to the athletics department itself, which would thereby make that person or group an IU booster unable to have interaction with any of our recruits. Notably, scouting/recruiting service operators and/or event operators should NOT be paying for you or providing free accommodation/food for you to attend their events.. Let me know if you have questions about accepting payments or benefits to attend events, and in general be leery of all things scouting/recruiting services.
And now NCAA REFORM:
While we are not quite ready to devote an entire Question of the Week to NCAA Reform, the subject cannot be ignored! Yesterday and today provided an enormously significant amount of change to the way we operate and will no doubt produce a plethora of pertinent probes. Questions, that is - and your friends in the compliance office are trying to get to where we can actually answer some of them! Be aware that the Presidents (who are instrumentally behind the reform) agreed that the new movement should start with the big picture and not initially get bogged down in details, as a normal legislative cycle and proposals might and does. So, we do not have all the answers on the specifics of these changes just yet because they started at the top with general principles and the details will follow.