2013-14 NCAA Division I Legislative Proposals
Question and Answer Document
(Updated: November 14, 2013)
This document contains questions and answers to assist the NCAA membership in its
understanding of select proposals in the 2013-14 legislative cycle.
NCAA Division I Proposal No. 2013-15 NCAA Membership -- Active Membership -Conditions and Obligations of Membership -- Catastrophic Sport Injury Reporting
Question No. 1:
Does a violation of this provision affect a student-athlete's eligibility?
Answer:
No.
Question No. 2:
Does this proposal establish a deadline for the submission of the injury
data to the NCAA?
Answer:
No.
Question No. 3:
What types of injuries and illnesses are considered “catastrophic”?
Answer:
Catastrophic injury is defined as any severe injury incurred in the setting
of intercollegiate sports or during other times (e.g., automobile accident,
suicide). Catastrophic is divided into the following three definitions:
a.
b.
c.
Fatality.
Nonfatal: permanent severe-functional disability.
Serious: no permanent functional disability but severe injury (e.g.,
fractured cervical vertebra with no paralysis).
Sports injuries are also considered direct or indirect. The definitions for
direct and indirect are as follows:


Direct: those injuries that result directly from participation in the
skills of the sport.
Indirect: those injuries that are caused by systemic failure as a
result of exertion while participating in a sport activity or by a
complication that was secondary to a nonfatal injury.
Question No. 4:
Are institutions required to report noncompetitive injuries or illnesses
(e.g., car accidents)?
Answer:
Yes, if the injuries or illnesses are considered to be catastrophic.
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Question No. 5:
Is an institution required to report catastrophic injuries or fatalities for
student-athletes who have exhausted eligibility (e.g., football studentathlete in the spring of his senior year)?
Answer:
Yes. Institutions are required to report catastrophic injuries or fatalities
occurring during any academic year in which a student-athlete is enrolled.
Proposal No. 2013-16 NCAA Membership -- Active Membership -- Conditions and
Obligations of Membership -- Designation of Team Physician
Question No. 1:
Is the team physician designated within the NCAA Online Directory?
Answer:
No.
Question No. 2:
What is the definition of a “team physician”?
Answer:
Six national medical societies have published the following definition:
"The team physician must have an unrestricted medical license and be a
medical doctor (MD) or doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO) who is
responsible for treating and coordinating the medical care of athletic team
members. The principal responsibility of the team physician is to provide
for the well-being of individual athletes - enabling each to realize his/her
full potential. The team physician should possess special proficiency in
the care of musculoskeletal injuries and medical conditions encountered in
sports. The team physician also must actively integrate medical expertise
with other healthcare providers, including medical specialists, athletic
trainers and allied health professionals. The team physician must
ultimately assume responsibility within the team structure for making
medical decisions that affect the student-athlete's safe participation."
Question No. 3:
Is the individual who has been appointed as the team physician required to
have any formal certifications and training?
Answer:
No. However, this individual must be a licensed physician and must meet
state requirements.
Question No. 4:
Does this individual need to be an employee of the institution?
Answer:
No.
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Question No. 5:
Does the legislation mandate the duties of the team physician?
Answer:
No. The duties of the team physician shall be determined by the
institution.
Question No. 6:
Does the legislation require each team to have its own physician?
Answer:
No, a physician may serve one or more teams. A team physician should
commit the necessary time and effort to provide healthcare to the team or
teams to which he or she is designated. In addition, the team physician
should develop and maintain a current, appropriate knowledge base of the
sport or sports for which he or she is accepting responsibility.
Question No. 7:
May an institution designate more than one team physician for a particular
team?
Answer:
Yes.
Question No. 8:
May the team physician be a physician with the campus health center or
university medical school?
Answer:
Yes.
Question No. 9:
May an institution use a medical practice consisting of multiple physicians
to satisfy the requirement?
Answer:
Yes.
Question No. 10:
How does an institution designate a team physician? Is there a form?
Answer:
Institutions are not required to report the designation to the NCAA. There
is not a specific form that should be used to designate the team physician.
Proposal No. 2013-17 Athletics Personnel -- Conduct of Athletics Personnel -- First Aid,
CPR and AED Certification
Question No. 1:
Must a coach receive certification from a specific agency?
Answer:
The proposal does not specify particular certifying agencies. Determining
an appropriate certifying agency is left to the discretion of the institution.
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Question No. 2:
Does the proposal require an institution to have an AED (Automated
External Defibrillator) accessible for use by the certified individuals?
Answer:
No.
Question No. 3:
Does the legislation apply to a new coach who is hired in the middle of the
season?
Answer:
Yes. To be in compliance with the proposed requirement, a coach must
receive certification prior to engaging in coaching activities with studentathletes. The proposal does not permit a grace period for an uncertified
full-time coach hired and/or designated midseason.
Question No. 4:
Does a violation occur if a coach performs coaching duties with studentathletes without being certified?
Answer:
Yes.
Question No. 5:
Will institutions be required to submit a form to the NCAA for proof that
all full-time coaches at the institution are certified?
Answer:
No.
Question No. 6:
Does this proposal require graduate assistant coaches and volunteer
coaches to be certified in first aid, CPR and AED?
Answer:
Yes, if they are considered full-time coaches pursuant to institutional
policy.
Question No. 7:
May an institution pay for the required certifications?
Answer:
Yes.
Proposal No. 2013-18 Athletics Personnel -- Conduct of Athletics Personnel -- Strength and
Conditioning Coaches -- Nationally Recognized Certification
Question No. 1:
Is a sport coach (e.g., head or assistant basketball coach) required to
maintain strength and conditioning coach certification in order to conduct
conditioning drills as part of a regular practice?
Answer:
No.
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Question No. 2:
Is a sport coach (e.g., head or assistant basketball coach) required to
maintain strength and conditioning coach certification if he or she will
conduct strength or conditioning sessions separate from regular practice or
skill instruction?
Answer:
Yes.
Question No. 3:
Does a violation occur if a strength and conditioning coach designs a
strength and conditioning program for student-athletes or conducts
strength and conditioning activities with student-athletes without receiving
a nationally recognized certification?
Answer:
Yes.
Question No. 4:
May an institution pay for the national certification?
Answer:
Yes.
Question No. 5:
If an institution hires a consultant to design its strength and conditioning
workouts, does that individual need to be certified?
Answer:
Yes.
Question No. 6:
Must outside fitness instructors (e.g., yoga, pilates, zumba, crossfit, etc.)
receive strength and conditioning coach certification in order to conduct
their fitness programs with student-athletes?
Answer:
No.
Question No. 7:
May a strength and conditioning intern or graduate student design strength
or conditioning programs for student-athletes or conduct strength and
conditioning programs for student-athletes without receiving strength and
conditioning coach certification?
Answer:
Yes, provided such an individual designs or conducts the programs under
the supervision of a certified strength and conditioning coach.
Question No. 8:
What constitutes an appropriate certification program?
Answer:
The required components for certification of strength and conditioning
personnel vary across national certifying agencies. Institutions should
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identify a particular agency or agencies that meet their expectations for
developing and conducting appropriate workouts for intercollegiate
student-athletes. When considering components for appropriate strength
and conditioning certifications, institutions should note whether the
certifying agency:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Is accredited by an oversight organization [e.g., National
Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA)];
Requires an undergraduate college degree;
Requires a continuing education component; and
Requires current first aid, CPR and AED certification.
Proposal No. 2013-19 Playing and Practice Seasons -- Football -- Preseason Practice -After Five-Day Acclimatization Period -- Three-Hours of Recovery Time Between Any
Sessions
Question No. 1:
Is it permissible for an institution to conduct "walk-throughs" during the
recovery period?
Answer:
No. During the recovery period, student-athletes may not engage in any
athletically related activities, including a walk-through.
Question No. 2:
If a student-athlete participates in a voluntary workout during the
three-hour recovery period, must the institution provide additional
recovery time?
Answer:
No. However, as a matter of student-athlete well-being, it is important for
the institution to educate its student-athletes on the purpose of the
three-hour recovery period and the dangers of not using the recovery
period.
Question No. 3:
Does time spent watching film/video count as recovery time?
Answer:
No.
Question No. 4:
Is it permissible for an institution to require student-athletes to remain at
the facility during the three-hour recovery time?
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Answer:
Yes.
Proposal No. 2013-20 Championships and Postseason Football -- Eligibility for
Championships -- Student-Athlete Eligibility -- Ineligibility for Use of Banned Drugs -Duration of Ineligibility -- Street Drugs
Question No. 1:
What drugs are included in the class “NCAA Street Drugs”?
Answer:
Marijuana, heroin and synthetic cannabinoids. These banned drugs are
included in the NCAA street-drug class because they are not considered
performance enhancing. It should be noted that no NCAA student-athlete
has tested positive for heroin as a part of the NCAA-administered drugtesting program. Testing results will continue to be monitored on a yearly
basis and if changes are warranted, the NCAA membership can act
accordingly.
Question No. 2:
Is the penalty in this proposal specific to failed NCAA-administered drug
tests?
Answer:
Yes.
Question No. 3:
May an institution or conference impose a stricter penalty for a positive
NCAA street-drug test?
Answer:
Yes.
Question No. 4:
Does the legislation apply retroactively?
Answer:
No. The effective date is August 1, 2014, and applies to all tests occurring
on or after August 1, 2014. Student-athletes who tested positive for street
drugs prior to August 1, 2014, must fulfill the penalties identified in the
previous legislation.
Question No. 5:
Does the drug-testing program test for street drugs throughout the year?
Answer:
No. The program tests for street drugs only during NCAA championships.
Question No. 6:
How is the 50-percent withholding calculated?
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Answer:
The withholding requirement is 50 percent of the NCAA Bylaw 17
maximum in each sport, regardless of how many contests or dates of
competition are scheduled by an institution.
Question No. 7:
Does the 50-percent withholding penalty begin immediately after a
positive street-drug test?
Answer:
The 50-percent withholding penalty begins as soon as the institution is
notified of the test result.
Question No. 8:
How would the application of the loss of competition during a minimum
50 percent of a season impact a multisport student-athlete?
Answer:
A student-athlete becomes ineligible for at least 50 percent of a season in
all sports at the point in which the institution is notified of the positive test
for street drugs.
Question No. 9:
Do exhibition contests, scrimmages, alumni contests, etc. count toward
loss of competition during a minimum of 50 percent of a season?
Answer:
No. The student-athlete remains ineligible until at least 50 percent of a
season's regular contests have passed following the positive drug test.
Contests used to fulfill the penalty must be contests or dates of
competition considered for championship selection.
Question No. 10:
Does a student-athlete have to be otherwise eligible to compete to fulfill
the withholding penalty?
Answer:
Yes.
Proposal No. 2013-21 Division Membership, Personnel, Amateurism, Financial Aid, and
Playing and Practice Seasons -- Emerging Sports for Women -- Women's Triathlon
Question No. 1:
Why were the specified financial aid limits chosen?
Answer:
The financial aid limits provide appropriate financial aid opportunities as
the sport develops as an NCAA sport. It is expected that a team’s squad
size would be 12-15 student-athletes.
Question No. 2:
Why isn't women's triathlon being played in the spring?
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Answer:
The developers of the proposal established the championship segment in
the fall.
Question No. 3:
Have the playing rules for women's triathlon been developed?
Answer:
The rules used by USA Triathlon are under review to determine what is
appropriate to use in the college game and a final recommendation will be
submitted to the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel. This process is
similar to that which has been used in the past in other emerging sports.
Question No. 4:
May all three volunteer coaches be present at all parts of a triathlon
competition?
Answer:
Yes.
Question No. 5:
Will additional financial aid limitations exist for student-athletes who are
also participants in swimming or cross country and track and field at the
institution?
Answer:
No.
Proposal No. 2013-22 Division Membership and Playing and Practice Seasons -- Division I
Membership Requirements -- Minimum Dates of Competition -- Women's Rugby
Question No. 1:
What playing rules will be used in seven-a-side competition?
Answer:
The rules developed by USA Rugby, the national governing body of
women’s rugby, will be used.
Question No. 2:
What are the differences between seven-a-side and 15-a-side competition?
Answer:
Fifteen-a-side matches have 15 competitors on each side with two
40-minute halves. A game roster typically consists of 22 or 23 players and
teams are allowed to use all 7 or 8 substitutes during a match. Seven-aside matches have 7 competitors on each side with two 7-minute halves.
A game roster consists of 12 players for a tournament. All 12 may dress
for each match but a team is only allowed to make 3 substitutions per
match. Also, a team must dress at least 10 players for a match.
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Question No. 3:
May teams play both seven-a-side and 15-a-side contests on the same date
of competition?
Answer:
Yes.
Question No. 4:
With regard to competition against club teams, are the club teams required
to be sponsored by a collegiate institution, or may the club team be
sponsored by an outside entity if solely comprised of college students?
Answer:
Such club teams must be sponsored by a four-year collegiate institution in
order to count for sports-sponsorship purposes.
Proposal No. 2013-27 Recruiting -- Recruiting Materials and Electronic Correspondence
Question No. 1:
Is it permissible for business cards, game programs and pre-enrollment
information to be provided to prospective student-athletes as general
correspondence or attachments to general correspondence?
Answer:
Yes.
Question No. 2:
Does this proposal alter the legislation regarding video or audio material
that may be provided to prospective student-athletes?
Answer:
No.
Proposal No. 2013-31-A Awards, Benefits and Expenses -- Meals Incidental to Practice
Activities and Noncompetitive Events and Snacks at Any Time
Question No. 1:
May an institution provide a meal incidental to skill-related instruction
outside the playing season?
Answer:
No. Meals incidental to practice may only be provided during the playing
and practice season (championship and nonchampionship segments) when
classes are in session.
Question No. 2:
Is the proposal to provide a meal incidental to practice during the playing
season applicable during a vacation period?
Answer:
No. The legislation governing board allowance for a student-athlete who
is required to remain on campus for practice during a vacation period is
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unchanged. Therefore, an institution remains permitted to provide meals,
or a cash allowance in lieu of meals, to a student-athlete who is required
to remain on campus for practice, including preseason practice, not to
exceed the amount provided by the institution to institutional staff
members on away-from-campus trips. An institution may provide an
additional meal (as opposed to the cash equivalent) during each day of
any vacation period, provided the student-athlete is required to remain on
campus for practice.
Question No. 3:
Is there a limit on the number of meals that may be provided incidental to
practice during the playing season when classes are in session?
Answer:
No. Meals incidental to practice may be provided at the institution's
discretion during the playing season when classes are in session.
Question No. 4:
May an institution provide a meal to a student-athlete who is representing
the institution in a noncompetitive event outside the playing season?
Answer:
Yes. Meals related to noncompetitive events may be provided any time a
student-athlete is representing the institution in such an event.
Question No. 5:
Is there a limit on the number of meals that may be provided to a studentathlete who is representing the institution in a noncompetitive event?
Answer:
No. An institution is permitted to provide meals at its discretion any time a
student-athlete is representing the institution in a noncompetitive event.
Question No. 6:
Is the institution required to deduct the value of a meal incidental to
practice or a noncompetitive event from the board allowance provided to a
student-athlete?
Answer:
No.
Question No. 7:
Is the institution required to charge a student-athlete who does not receive
institutional athletically related financial aid covering the full cost of board
(i.e., a walk-on or partial scholarship student-athlete) with the cost of a
meal incidental to practice or a noncompetitive event? Is the institution
required to include the value of the meal in the student-athlete's individual
or in the team's financial aid limits?
Answer:
No.
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Question No. 8:
Does the meal incidental to practice eliminate the institution's ability to
provide a training table meal?
Answer:
No. An institution may provide one training table meal per day at any time
during the academic year when regular institutional dining facilities are
open. The cost of meals provided on the institution's training table must be
deducted from a student-athlete's board allowance, regardless of whether
the student-athlete is receiving a full grant-in-aid. A student-athlete who
does not receive institutional athletically related financial aid covering the
full cost of board (i.e., a walk-on or partial scholarship student-athlete)
may purchase one training table meal per day at the same rate the
institution deducts from the board allowance of student-athletes who
receive athletically related financial aid covering board costs.
Question No. 9:
May an institution provide a cash allowance in lieu of a meal incidental to
practice or a noncompetitive event?
Answer:
No. An institution may not provide a cash allowance in lieu of a meal
incidental to practice or a noncompetitive event that takes place in the
locale of the institution. If a student-athlete is participating in an
institutional practice or representing the institution in a noncompetitive
event outside of the institution's locale, the institution may provide meals
at its discretion from the time the student-athlete is required to report on
call for travel associated with the practice or noncompetitive event until
the team returns to campus. Alternatively, an institution may provide
regular meals, or a cash allowance in lieu of meals, not to exceed the
amount provided by the institution to institutional staff members on awayfrom-campus trips.
Question No. 10:
May an institution provide a cash allowance in lieu of a meal to a studentathlete who misses a meal covered in the student-athlete's board allowance
or purchased by the student-athlete (i.e., walk-on or partial scholarship
student-athlete) due to participation in practice activities?
Answer:
Yes, provided the student-athlete previously has paid for the same meal
(e.g., dinner) at an institutional dining facility.
Question No. 11:
May an institution provide snacks to a student-athlete outside the playing
season?
Answer:
Yes. Snacks may be provided at any time at the institution's discretion.
ncaa.org/msaa/ama/Legislation Team/DI_Legislation/Q and A Documents/2013-14 DI Q and A Vol 2/LZ:gmd/11142013