The Ocean State University women’s basketball team won the Ocean Eleven Conference tournament this year. The Conference office will be providing each member of the team with a championship gift. There are two student-athletes on the team that did not attend the tournament. One has been academically ineligible all year and the other is serving a year in residence for transferring.
Can the Conference office provide a gift to these two student-athletes?
No. NCAA Official Interpretation- 12/12/94- National or Conference Championship Awards to Ineligible Student-Athletes– states that it is not permissible for an institution or conference (or organization approved by either) to provide awards in recognition of conference or national championships to student-athletes who were not eligible to represent the institution in intercollegiate competition during the applicable sport season. [References: 16.1.4.3 (conference and national championships) and staff minute 12/07/88, item c]
Jennifer M. Condaras
Associate Commissioner
BIG EAST Conference
The opinions expressed in the Daily Compliance Item are the author’s and the author’s alone, and are not endorsed by The BIG EAST Conference, JumpForward, or the Collegiate Sports Group of Bond, Schoeneck, and King. The Daily Compliance Item is not a substitute for a compliance office, case specific research, or the NCAA Bylaws. Do some homework, ask around, and get it right.
