NCAA sets August 21 deadline for decision on fall sports

Photo by Jack Dempsey/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

The NCAA continues to play the waiting game, announcing Wednesday that the fate of fall sports and championships will be determined by Aug. 21 and left up to each division.

However, in order to play, each division (Divisions I, II and III) must meet the following requirements:

• All fall sports activity (preseason, regular season and postseason) must follow the recently released return-to-sport guidelines from the NCAA Sport Science Institute for all athletic activity. As the guidelines change based on the ever-changing pandemic, schools must follow any future modifications.
• The NCAA will establish a phone number and email to allow college athletes, parents or others to report alleged failures. The Association will notify school and conference administrators, who will be expected to take immediate action.
• All member schools must adhere to federal, state and local guidelines related to COVID-19. Further, the conduct of NCAA championships must be in line with federal, state and local guidelines.
• All student-athletes must be allowed to opt out of participation due to concerns about contracting COVID-19. If a college athlete chooses to opt out, that individual’s athletics scholarship commitment must be honored by the college or university.
• Each division must determine no later than Aug. 14 the eligibility accommodations that must be made for student-athletes who opt out of participating this fall or for those whose seasons are canceled or cut short due to COVID-19. College athletes and their families must know what their eligibility status will be before beginning the fall season.
• Member schools may not require student-athletes to waive their legal rights regarding COVID-19 as a condition of athletics participation.
• Member schools, in conjunction with existing insurance standards, must cover COVID-19 related medical expenses for student-athletes to prevent out-of-pocket expenses for college athletes and their families.
• Any NCAA fall championship or other postseason contests must be conducted within enhanced safety protocols for student-athletes and essential athletics personnel. These safety enhancements will include regular testing, separation of college athletes and essential personnel from all other nonessential personnel, and physical distancing and masking policies during all aspects of non-competition.
• NCAA championships may use reduced bracketing, a reduced number of competitors, predetermined sites and, where appropriate, single sites to limit exposure to COVID-19.
• If 50% or more of eligible teams in a particular sport in a division cancel their fall season, there will be no fall NCAA championship in that sport in that division.
• If fall sports championships are postponed in any division, a decision to conduct that championship at a later date will be based upon the scientific data available at that time regarding COVID-19, along with other considerations.

Division III has already announced it will not have sports in the fall, but Division I is much more likely to proceed with fall sports because of the monetary factors tied in with college football.

The Pac-12 has already shifted to conference-only schedules for the fall, but they have only been released for football. Other fall sports like soccer and volleyball have yet to receive their slates, but will not start until Sept. 26 at the earliest if they start at all.

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