PAC Letter

[SMU89]

Pac-12 university presidents have sent a letter to their colleagues at the other four major football conferences calling for sweeping changes to the NCAA model and autonomy for those leagues.

A copy of the letter was obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday night. It was sent last week to the other 53 university presidents from the Southeastern Conference, Big Ten, Big 12 and Atlantic Coast Conference.

Spurred in part by Northwestern football players' move to unionize, the Pac-12 presidents outlined a 10-point plan for reform that includes many proposals commissioners have been advocating for several years, including a stipend for athletes. The NCAA is working on a new governance structure that will allow the five wealthiest conferences to make some rules without the support of smaller Division I schools.

"We acknowledge the core objectives could prove to be expensive and controversial, but the risks of inaction or moving too slowly are far greater," the letter reads. "The time for tinkering with the rules and making small adjustments is over."

The full list of proposals included in the letter are:

— Permit institutions to make scholarship awards up to the full cost of attendance.

— Provide reasonable ongoing medical or insurance assistance for student-athletes who suffer an incapacitating injury in competition or practice. Continue efforts to reduce the incidence of disabling injury.

— Guarantee scholarships for enough time to complete a bachelor's degree, provided that the student remains in good academic standing.

— Decrease the demands placed on the athlete in-season, correspondingly increase the time available for studies and campus life, by preventing the abuse of organized "voluntary" practices to circumvent the limit of 20 hours per week and more realistically assess the time away from campus and other commitments during the season.

— Similarly decrease time demands out of season by reducing out-of-season competition and practices, and by considering shorter seasons in specific sports.

— Further strengthen the Academic Progress Rate requirements for postseason play.

— Address the "one and done" phenomenon in men's basketball. If the NBA its Players Association are unable to agree to raising the age limit for players, consider restoring the freshman ineligibility rule in men's basketball.

— Provide student-athletes a meaningful role in governance at the conference and NCAA levels.

— Adjust existing restrictions so that student-athletes preparing for the next stage of their careers are not unnecessarily deprived of the advice and counsel of agents and other competent professionals, but without professionalizing intercollegiate athletics.

— Liberalize the current rules limiting the ability of student-athletes to transfer between institutions.

Pac-12 presidents are asking for a response to the proposed reforms by June 4.

The plan comes after Northwestern University football players cast secret ballots April 25 on whether to form the nation's first union for college athletes. The results of the vote will not be known for some time.

The full National Labor Relations Board has agreed to hear Northwestern's appeal of a regional director's March ruling that the players are university employees and thus can unionize. Ballots will remain impounded until that process is finished, and perhaps until after any court fight that might follow a decision.

Part of the idea behind the proposal by the Pac-12 presidents is to get ahead of the issue and meet some of the demands that have been raised by Northwestern players and other athletes without "professionalizing" college sports.

The letter states "it is clear from the recent statements of any number of individuals that, while they may share or view that labor unions are not the answer, the time has come for a meaningful response both to the student-athletes' grievances and the need to reassert the academic primacy of our mission."

[Big12Mustang]

Pac-12 university presidents have sent a letter to their colleagues at the other four major football conferences calling for sweeping changes to the NCAA model and autonomy for those leagues.

A copy of the letter was obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday night. It was sent last week to the other 53 university presidents from the Southeastern Conference, Big Ten, Big 12 and Atlantic Coast Conference.

Spurred in part by Northwestern football players' move to unionize, the Pac-12 presidents outlined a 10-point plan for reform that includes many proposals commissioners have been advocating for several years, including a stipend for athletes. The NCAA is working on a new governance structure that will allow the five wealthiest conferences to make some rules without the support of smaller Division I schools.

"We acknowledge the core objectives could prove to be expensive and controversial, but the risks of inaction or moving too slowly are far greater," the letter reads. "The time for tinkering with the rules and making small adjustments is over."

The full list of proposals included in the letter are:

— Permit institutions to make scholarship awards up to the full cost of attendance.

— Provide reasonable ongoing medical or insurance assistance for student-athletes who suffer an incapacitating injury in competition or practice. Continue efforts to reduce the incidence of disabling injury.

— Guarantee scholarships for enough time to complete a bachelor's degree, provided that the student remains in good academic standing.

— Decrease the demands placed on the athlete in-season, correspondingly increase the time available for studies and campus life, by preventing the abuse of organized "voluntary" practices to circumvent the limit of 20 hours per week and more realistically assess the time away from campus and other commitments during the season.

— Similarly decrease time demands out of season by reducing out-of-season competition and practices, and by considering shorter seasons in specific sports.

— Further strengthen the Academic Progress Rate requirements for postseason play.

— Address the "one and done" phenomenon in men's basketball. If the NBA its Players Association are unable to agree to raising the age limit for players, consider restoring the freshman ineligibility rule in men's basketball.

— Provide student-athletes a meaningful role in governance at the conference and NCAA levels.

— Adjust existing restrictions so that student-athletes preparing for the next stage of their careers are not unnecessarily deprived of the advice and counsel of agents and other competent professionals, but without professionalizing intercollegiate athletics.

— Liberalize the current rules limiting the ability of student-athletes to transfer between institutions.

Pac-12 presidents are asking for a response to the proposed reforms by June 4.

The plan comes after Northwestern University football players cast secret ballots April 25 on whether to form the nation's first union for college athletes. The results of the vote will not be known for some time.

The full National Labor Relations Board has agreed to hear Northwestern's appeal of a regional director's March ruling that the players are university employees and thus can unionize. Ballots will remain impounded until that process is finished, and perhaps until after any court fight that might follow a decision.

Part of the idea behind the proposal by the Pac-12 presidents is to get ahead of the issue and meet some of the demands that have been raised by Northwestern players and other athletes without "professionalizing" college sports.

The letter states "it is clear from the recent statements of any number of individuals that, while they may share or view that labor unions are not the answer, the time has come for a meaningful response both to the student-athletes' grievances and the need to reassert the academic primacy of our mission."

Those reforms do not seem too unreasonable, and I could see the AAC adopting these. In fact, the Basketball rule dealing with the one and dones would actually make it fun if we could have players like Mudiay stay for more than one season.

[StallionsModelT]

Only a handful of AAC programs would be willing to adopt these changes and maybe a few MWC schools as well. I've long held the belief that there will be the P5 conferences and a sixth conference comprised of the 10-12 schools in the G5 that can float the boat financially.

BYU
Boise State
SMU
Houston
Cincinnati
Memphis
Central Florida
South Florida
UConn
Temple

[orguy]

Only a handful of AAC programs would be willing to adopt these changes and maybe a few MWC schools as well. I've long held the belief that there will be the P5 conferences and a sixth conference comprised of the 10-12 schools in the G5 that can float the boat financially.

BYU
Boise State
SMU
Houston
Cincinnati
Memphis
Central Florida
South Florida
UConn
Temple

Dubious whether several on this list can "float the boat" financially. SMU or BYU can but schools like Central Florida, Boise Junior College, Cougar High and Memphis State are commuter schools with largely older students that depend heavily on tax dollars to fund their stated missions. TV revenues for a Boise are going to decline in the future as their run is coming to an end. In that event who will fund all this? Certainly a different dynamic at work. Ought to be interesting how this all pans out over the long run.

[Big12Mustang]

Only a handful of AAC programs would be willing to adopt these changes and maybe a few MWC schools as well. I've long held the belief that there will be the P5 conferences and a sixth conference comprised of the 10-12 schools in the G5 that can float the boat financially.

BYU
Boise State
SMU
Houston
Cincinnati
Memphis
Central Florida
South Florida
UConn
Temple

Dubious whether several on this list can "float the boat" financially. SMU or BYU can but schools like Central Florida, Boise Junior College, Cougar High and Memphis State are commuter schools with largely older students that depend heavily on tax dollars to fund their stated missions. TV revenues for a Boise are going to decline in the future as their run is coming to an end. In that event who will fund all this? Certainly a different dynamic at work. Ought to be interesting how this all pans out over the long run.

Technically, all the schools in the list except SMU, BYU and UConn are commuter schools. What pisses me off from the whole P5 thing is that we used to be part of the big dogs and got relegated to the commuter school status. The AAC is a collection of the best commuter schools.
Last 2 schools to move from the non-power to power were Utah and TCU, with none being a commuter school. Hopefully in this round, SMU, BYU and UConn are able to make the jump. We have to prove we have the market and that we can bring fans into our stadium and arena no matter who the opponent is. The P5 schools do it and they will expect no less. We can no longer bank on the "Dallas" card, we need to pull no stops and do it big.

[SMU 86]

They still did not address the need to increase stipends. In another article increasing stipends were mention but not this one. Maybe they will address that later. Hopefully this will help move things along.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootbal ... -signaling

[SMU 86]

Those reforms do not seem too unreasonable, and I could see the AAC adopting these. In fact, the Basketball rule dealing with the one and dones would actually make it fun if we could have players like Mudiay stay for more than one season.

No, the basketball rule would not mean Mudiay would actually play for more than one season because he would be ineligible in his first year and would play only one year after eligible. If we had that in place Mudiay might have decided to go to the D League or overseas to play one year. As Jay Bilas said that the baseball rule is better.

Jay Bilas ‏@JayBilas May 26

Letter from PAC-12 Presidents: http://pac12.me/1o7ljh7 They suggest "freshman ineligibility" in basketball only. How ridiculous.

Ray Miller ‏@raymiller30 May 26

@JayBilas makes no sense - would lose all the best basketball players to D-league or oversees, and lowers quality of game