The American supports NCAA change, but no pay-for-play

[Water Pony]

November 12, 2013 02:10 PM
By Kevin McNamara
Providence Journal

PROVIDENCE - The American Athletic Conference has issued a statement following a meeting in Dallas last week of many of the major football conferences in the country. A main point was a need to change the NCAA Division I governance structure, something the American's presidents and athletic directors support.

"The American Athletic Conference strongly supports the continued open dialogue and examination of the NCAA Division I governance structure. As we seek improvements to our governance and enforcement models, our focus must be on the enhancement of the student-athlete experience while striving to maintain a clear line of demarcation between intercollegiate athletics and professional sports. The promotion of health and safety standards for our student-athletes and a strong commitment to their educational and personal development are of paramount importance. To those ends, we support, among other things, funding student-athlete scholarships up to the full cost of attendance, but we are firmly against the 'pay-for-play' model."