NCAA RULES
FB & BKB OPERATIONS/ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS
DUTIES
11.7.1.1.1 Countable Coach. An athletics department staff member must count against coaching limits
as soon as the individual participates (in any manner) in the coaching of the intercollegiate
team in practice, games or organized activities directly related to that sport, including any
organized staff activity directly related to the sport.
11.7.1.1.1.1 Noncoaching Activities. Institutional staff members involved in noncoaching activities (e.g.,
administrative assistants, recruiting coordinators in sports other than football, academic
counselors) do not count in the institution’s coaching limitations, provided such individuals
are not identified as coaches, do not engage in any organized on- or off-field coaching
activities (e.g., attend meetings involving coaching activities, analyzing videotape involving
the institution’s or an opponents team), and are not involved in any off-campus recruitment of
prospects or scouting of opponents.
Interpretations:
Sports Psychologist/Use of Outside Consultant. In Division I, an institution may not employ an outside
consultant to observe institutional practice sessions and provide analysis of such sessions to coaching
staff members without being included in the institution’s coaching limitations in that sport. (Official
Interpretation 3/3/93).
It is permissible for the institution’s athletics department to employ a sports psychologist provided the
individual does not engage in any on- or off-field coaching activities. (12/95 Staff Interp)
Supervision of Voluntary Workouts. Voluntary participation by student-athletes in weight-training or
conditioning programs utilizing the institution’s facilities outside the established playing and practice
season may be supervised both by members of the institution’s strength and conditioning staff and
athletics trainers. (1/31/90 Staff Interp)
RECRUITING
13.1.2.4 (a) Institutional Staff Members – Off Campus Contacts. In all sports, only those coaches
permitted to recruit off campus as specified in Bylaw 11.7 may contact prospects off campus. Faculty
members may contact prospects for recruiting purposes in all sports, but only on campus. All institutional
staff members may write prospects, except in football.
A faculty member is precluded from participating in off campus recruiting in accordance with 13.1.2.4
(a), but is permitted to participate in entertainment activities involving a prospect on an official visit held
at the home of an institutional staff member. Further, an athletics department staff member (e.g.,
recruiting coordinators, administrative assistants) may participate in off campus entertainment with a
prospect on an official visit, provided the entertainment is within a 30-mile radius of the institution.
(Staff Interpretation 10/23/92)
Administrative Assistant Recruiting Duties
Duty Restriction
Write to prospects Yes (except football)
Telephone prospects Yes, as the one call per week (except football)
E-Mail prospects Yes (Any attachment must conform to Bylaw 13.4.1)
Recruit on campus Yes
Evaluated off campus No
Contact off campus No (Unless during the official visit within 30 miles)
13.4.1 Printed Recruiting Materials. A Division I institution may not provide recruiting materials
to a prospect (including general correspondence related to athletics) until September 1st at the
beginning of the prospect’s junior year in high school. Member institutions are permitted to
provide only the printed materials listed below to prospects, coaches of prospects or any other
individual responsible for teaching or directing an activity in which a prospect is involved. A
member institution is not permitted to provide prospects with any materials not listed below (e.g.,
game films, videotapes, CD Rom, original newspaper clippings).
(a) Correspondence. General correspondence, including letters and postcards issued by the U.S.
postal service (i.e., blank cards) and institutional note cards may only be sent by mail.
Attachments to general correspondence may include materials printed on plain white paper
with black ink. In Division I-A football, the content of all general recruiting correspondence
must be prepared by the head coach or one of the full-time assistant coaches.
(b) Business Cards.
(c) Electronic Transmissions. Faxes and e-mails may be sent to a prospect.
(d) Game Programs. Game programs may be provided to a prospect only during official or
unofficial visits and may not be mailed.
(e) Athletics Publications. An institution may produce either a recruiting brochure or media
guide (but not both) in each sport it sponsors and provide it to a prospect.
(f) Non-Athletics Publications. Official academic, admissions and student services publications
published by the institution and available to all students may be provided to prospects.
(g) Schedule Cards. One wallet-sized playing schedule card per sport.
(h) Student-Athlete Handbook. One student-athlete handbook, describing the department
policies governing the conduct of student-athletes, may be provided to a prospect during
official or unofficial recruiting visits or may be mailed once the prospect has signed a
National Letter of Intent or has been accepted for enrollment by the institution.
(i) Pre-enrollment Information. Any necessary pre-enrollment information regarding
orientation, conditioning, academics and practice activities may be sent to a prospect,
provided the prospect has signed a National Letter of Intent or has been accepted for
enrollment by the institution.
The following materials are the only items which may be provided to a prospect prior to September 1st at
the beginning of the prospect’s junior year in high school:
(a) Camp Brochures. Information in the brochures must relate specifically to camp events and
activities.
(b) Questionnaires.
(c) NCAA Educational Information. An institution may provide educational information published
by the NCAA.
Interpretation: Electronic Mail Attachments: (I) The NCAA Division I Management Council used its
authority set forth in NCAA Constitution 5.4.1.2.1.5 to reverse a previous Council-approved official
interpretation and agreed that it is permissible for an institution’s coaching staff member to include
color attachments with electronic mail correspondence sent to prospective student-athletes. [Reference:
Bylaw 13.4.1 (printed recruiting materials – correspondence – electronic transmissions)] (7/25/00
Official Interp)
Interpretation: Distribution of Recruiting Materials at the Prospect’s Practice or Competition Site: An
institutional staff member may provide items other than general correspondence (e.g. media guides,
recruiting brochures, questionnaires) to a third party with the intent that such items be delivered to the
prospect at the prospect’s practice or competition site. However, it is not permissible for the staff
member to include a note with such item or to write a note on the item. (9/26/96 Official Interp)
Interpretation: Inclusion of Quotations in Camp Brochure: An institution’s camp brochure may include
quotations from former campers, parents of former campers and prospective student-athletes’ coaches
related to the camp. (3/24/98 Official Interp)
13.7.1.2.1 Written Notification Required. Each institution shall be required to notify the prospect in
writing, at the time of its invitation but prior to the visit, of the five-visit limitation.
13.7.1.6 Official Visit Limitations
Football 56
Basketball 12
Baseball 25
11.7.5.1 Contact and Evaluation of Prospects Off Campus. There is a limit on the number of
coaching staff members who may contact or evaluate prospects off campus at any one time.
Sport Number of Coaches
Baseball 2
Men’s Basketball 3 – During the July evaluation period
2 – During all other contact and evaluation periods
Women’s Basketball 3 – During the July evaluation period and AAU Champ.
2 – During all other contact and evaluation periods
11.7.5.1.1 At Any One Time. If the limit of coaches who are permitted to contact or evaluated off
campus at one time is reached, another coach in that same sport may not leave campus to
engage in off campus recruiting contacts or evaluations until one of the other coaches actually
returns to campus.
11.7.5.1.1.1 Transportation Delay. If the maximum number of authorized coaches is recruiting off
campus and another coach is scheduled to depart for recruiting when one of those coaches
returns, that coach may depart at the scheduled time if the incoming coach encounters a
transportation delay (e.g., flight difficulties), provided the departing coach does not leave
prior to the time that the incoming coach was scheduled to return to the home transportation
site (e.g., airport terminal), and the coach who is encountering the delay does not engage in
any additional recruiting activities on that trip.
11.7.5.1.1.2 Recruiting Travel Combined With Other Travel. A coach who combines on-recruiting
travel (e.g., vacation, speaking engagement) with a recruiting trip may be replaced for
purposes of recruitment with another authorized coach, provide the coach being replaced does
not engage in additional recruiting activities until after he or she has returned to the
institution’s campus. The coach leaving campus may depart no earlier than the time the
replaced coach normally would return to the home transportation site (if the coach were
returning to campus).
TRAVEL
16.7.1 Away-From-Home Contests. The institution may pay actual coasts (but may not provide cash)
for reasonable entertainment that takes place within a 100 mile radius of where a team plays or
practices in connection with an away-from-home contest or enroute to or from such a contest.
It is not permissible for an institution to schedule practice sessions at other locations in order to provide
entertainment opportunities for team members. (Staff Interpretation 5/3/95)
It is not permissible for an institution to provide cash to student-athletes for team entertainment in
conjunction with away-from-home contests, except as permitted in Bylaw 16.8.1.5 (NCAA
Championships). (Official Interpretation 1/30/92)
16.7.1.1 Professional Sports Tickets. Complimentary tickets to professional sports contests shall not be
provided to student-athletes, unless the tickets are purchased by the
institution for entertainment purposes related to away-from-home contests.
16.7.2 Departure Return Restrictions. It is not permissible for a team to depart more than 48 hours
prior to or remain more than 36 hours after an event or to transport the team to another area for
entertainment purposes except in the following circumstances:
(a) Travel prior to and from contests in Hawaii or Alaska;
(b) Travel prior to and from regular season competition that takes place during the institution’s
official vacation period during the academic year;
(c) Travel prior to and from contests in the 48 contiguous states for member institutions located
in Hawaii or Alaska;
(d) Travel prior to contests in NCAA championship events, NGB championship events in
emerging sports or certified postseason football games.
16.7.3 Films/Movies/Videotapes. The institution may rent a film or movie, provide pay-per-view
movies in the student-athlete’s hotel rooms or take the team to the movies in conjunction with an
away-from-home contest, the night before a contest without the film being considered an extra
benefit not available to the student body. Such entertainment is considered incidental to
participation.
16.8.2.1 Travel Apparel. An institution may not provide to student-athletes team travel outfits, blazers
or other items of clothing that are not sports-related practice or competition apparel.
Extra benefits that are impermissible while on team travel include paying for a student-athlete’s phone
calls, room service (if in addition to a team meal), and snacks other than the evening prior to and on the
day of a competition.
CONDUCT OF ATHLETIC STAFF
Buckley Amendment. An institution is not permitted to disclose information regarding a student-
athlete’s:
(1) results of NCAA or institutional drug tests;
(2) academic transcripts from any institution including the University of Louisville;
(3) pre-college test scores and information relating to eligibility of nonstandard testing;
(4) records concerning financial aid;
(5) records concerning campus or home addresses or phone numbers; and
(6) any other papers or information pertaining to his or her NCAA eligibility.
10.1 Unethical Conduct. Unethical conduct by a prospective or enrolled student-athlete or a current or
former institutional staff member may include, but is not limited to, the following:
(a) refusal to furnish information relevant to an investigation of a possible violation of
an NCAA regulation when requested to do so by the NCAA or the individual’s
institution;
(b) knowing involvement in arranging for fraudulent academic credit or false
transcripts for a prospective or an enrolled student-athlete;
(c) knowing involvement in offering or providing a prospective or enrolled student-
athlete an improper inducement or extra benefit or improper financial aid;
(d) knowingly furnishing the NCAA or the individual’s institution false or misleading
information concerning the individual’s involvement in or knowledge of matters
relevant to a possible violation of NCAA regulation; or
(e) receipt of benefits by an institutional staff member for facilitating or arranging a
meeting between a student-athlete and an agent, financial advisor or representative
of an agent or advisor (e.g., “runner”).
10.3 Gambling Activities. Staff members of the athletics department and student-athletes shall not
knowingly:
(a) Provide information to individuals involved in organized gambling activities concerning
collegiate athletics;
(b) Solicit a bet on any collegiate team;
(c) Accept a bet on any team representing the institution;
(d) Solicit or accept a bet on any collegiate competition for any item that has value;
(e) Participate in any gambling activity that involves collegiate or professional athletics, through a
bookmaker, a parlay card, office pool or any other method employed by organized gambling.
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