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Sports Wagering Primer for NCAA Student-Athletes

by Justin Sievert 03-01-2012 11:57 PM Amateurism

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With March Madness fast approaching, fans across the country are following NCAA men's basketball a little bit more closely as they prepare to fill out their "brackets" and begin to enter into various tournament "pools." In fact, the NCAA men's basketball tournament has become so big the FBI expects illegal gambling could reach upwards of $2.5 billion dollars. As a result, it is important for both prospective and current NCAA student-athletes to be educated regarding NCAA Bylaw 10.3 (Sports Wagering Activities).

NCAA Bylaw 10.3, as applied to student-athletes, forbids knowing participation in sports wagering activities or providing information to individuals involved in or associated with any types of sports wagering activities concerning intercollegiate, amateur or professional athletics competitions. A prospective or enrolled student-athlete who is found in violation of Bylaw 10.3 would be ineligible from further intercollegiate athletics competition, subject to an appeal to the Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement. If a student-athlete engaged in activities designed to influence the outcome of an intercollegiate contest or activities that will affect the gambling line or gambles on the institution he or she attends, that student-athlete would lose all remaining eligibility in all sports. If a student-athlete participates in another sports wagering activity, the student will be ineligible for a minimum period of one year. If the student-athlete later engages in another sports wagering activity, the student-athlete will be permanently ineligible.

To avoid finding yourself subject to Bylaw 10.3 sanctions, here are examples of impermissible sports wagering activities compiled from recent NCAA secondary infractions cases:
1. Men's golf student-athlete wagering small amounts of money on golf practice rounds with an assistant coach (Secondary Case 43135).
2. Participation in a fantasy sports league with an entry fee that awarded cash prizes and plaques for top finishers (Secondary Case 37634).
3. Men's baseball student-athlete wagering small amounts of money on various professional football games with non-student-athlete friend (Secondary Case 35844).
4. Twenty-eight baseball student-athletes wagering money on the results of an intrasquad baseball competition (Secondary Case 35943).
5. Assistant men's swimming coach and men's swimming student-athlete place small wager on the ability of the student-athlete to touch the ceiling of the pool from one bounce of the diving board (Secondary Case 46300).
6. Head women's golf coach wagered with a rival institution's coach the outcome of the institution's football game where the loser would have to wear the shirt of the winner's institution (Secondary Case 45184).
7. Assistant athletic director wagered $1 to enter an NCAA March Madness pool where the payout for the winner was $50. Even though the winnings were donated to charity it was a violation (Secondary Case 43433).
In addition, all prospective and current collegiate student-athletes should review the NCAA's website regarding sports wagering, Don't Bet On It.
Published 03-01-2012 © 2025 Access Athletes, LLC
Keywords: Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement, Don't Bet On It, March Madness, NCAA, NCAA Bylaw 10.3, NCAA Secondary Infraction Cases, Sports Wagering, Student-Athlete
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The National Letter of Intent Program: Important Considerations for Prospective Student-Athletes

by Justin Sievert 02-02-2012 01:45 AM Amateurism

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Yesterday college football fans were treated to what has become a national holiday, Signing Day. February 1st marked the first day that a high school senior football student-athlete could sign a National Letter of Intent (NLI) to play collegiate football at an NCAA member institution. The NLI program, which is managed by the NCAA Eligibility Center and governed by the Collegiate Commissioners Association, does not just include football but includes all NCAA sponsored scholarship sports. NLI membership includes 620 NCAA Division I and II member institutions. Ivy League, service academies, NCAA Division III, NAIA, prepatory and junior colleges are not part of the NLI program. The impact of signing an NLI is the prospective student-athlete agrees to attend the designated college or university for one academic year and the selected institution agrees to provide athletics financial aid to the student-athlete, provided he/she is admitted to the institution and is eligible for financial aid under NCAA rules.

While the purported goal of the NLI program was to benefit both member institutions and prospective student-athletes, there are many considerations prospective student-athletes need to take into account before signing a letter of intent with any NCAA member institution. These considerations include:

1.     Voluntariness: While signing the NLI is voluntary, virtually all NLI member institutions strongly encourage prospective student-athletes to sign. Prospective student-athletes need to be aware of the obligations that come with signing an NLI and the ramifications that may come with not signing an NLI.

2.     Penalties: The basic penalty for not fulfilling the NLI is to serve one year in residence (full-time) at the next NLI member institution and lose one season of competition in all sports (not just the sport the NLI was signed in).

3.     Coaching Changes: A prospective student-athlete is signing an NLI with an institution. A coach leaving the institution in which the prospective student-athlete signed the NLI does not release the prospective student-athlete of the NLI's obligations. Further reading on coaching changes and both prospective and current student-athletes can be found here.

4.     NLI Declared Null and Void: An NLI signed by the prospective student-athlete does not mean it will necessarily become binding on the institution. An NLI can be declared null and void for the following reasons: (1) the prospective student-athlete was denied admission to the institution; (2) the prospective student-athlete does not meet NCAA, institutional or conference eligibility requirements; (3) the prospective student-athlete does not enroll at the institution for one year after he or she signed the NLI and the scholarship is no longer available; (4) the prospective student-athlete serves in the military or on a church mission following the signing of the NLI; and (5) the sport in which the prospective student-athlete signed on to play at the institution is discontinued.

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Becoming a Team Leader

by Cory Dobbs, Ed.D. 09-08-2011 01:55 AM Amateurism

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As a student-athlete it’s your choice to become a team leader. Because you are a student, leadership is an educational decision. If you truly desire a leadership role, you’ll need to make a commitment to preparing for the many challenges that will emerge daily. Learning to lead is a physical, intellectual, emotional, and social endeavor that leads to growth and development in leadership knowledge, skills, and abilities. When you choose to become a team leader you will have chosen to achieve your highest aspirations and potential. Those athletes that accept the challenge and learn to become leaders will be rewarded in a variety of ways throughout their life.

Becoming a team leader does not mean paying lip service to the role and responsibilities of team leadership. Rather, leadership will require you to exhibit courage, display character, and make a commitment to contributing to your team in this “extra” role.

Think back over your experiences as a student-athlete. Ask which individuals truly delivered leadership that significantly impacted the team. In some cases you may have had exceptional team leaders, individuals you thought had a calling to lead. In others, you may have felt the team would have been better off without their leadership.

Most student-athletes choose not to become team leaders. They are unwilling to venture outside their comfort zone. These are the ones that say “I lead by example” and leave it at that. However, it will take a bold act of courage for you to engage with your teammates as a peer leader. The essence of team leadership is the act of making a difference. Choose to lead courageously and make a difference.

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Fab Five Documentary Brings Up Questions Regarding NCAA "Preexisting Relationship" Exception

by Justin Sievert 03-19-2011 03:31 PM Amateurism

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Following this year's "Selection Sunday" we were treated to a trip back down memory lane with ESPN's documentary on the "Fab Five." The "Fab Five" was the moniker given to the University of Michigan's 1991 recruiting class which consisted of Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwon Howard, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson. This group led Michigan to two consecutive NCAA Division I Men's National Championship Basketball games during the group's freshman and sophomore seasons (1992 and 1993) and also had a dramatic impact on American pop culture through their baggy shorts, trash-talking, shaved heads, and black socks. While the majority of the documentary focused on the legacy left by the group both on and off the basketball court, the end of the documentary focused on the circumstances surrounding the sanctions that were handed down on the University of Michigan by the NCAA in 2003.

One of the major issues that arose during the final segment was Jalen Rose's admission that he accepted extra-benefits from Ed Martin. Martin, who had formed relationships with many youth athletes from the Detroit area dating back to the early 1980s, had provided Rose with benefits both before and during Rose's time at Michigan. These benefits would generally be a violation of NCAA rules, as boosters are prohibited from providing any type of preferential treatment, benefit, or service to a current or prospective student-athlete because of the student-athlete's athletics reputation or skill or pay-back potential as a professional athlete. However, the one exception to this rule is if there is a clear preexisting relationship between the booster and the student-athlete. In the documentary, Rose claimed that his relationship with Martin fell under this exception. The question that results is what exactly is a "preexisting relationship" under this exception?

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