It was a decision that took all day, but the NCAA announced yesterday that spring-sport student athletes will get an extra season of eligibility. Typically, the NCAA council favors monetary decisions, putting the student-athletes interest on the back burner, but this was the most logical decision.
DI Council grants waiver to allow additional eligibility for spring sport athletes whose seasons were impacted by COVID-19: https://t.co/v1zriEBDvR pic.twitter.com/g9BbOkmnt0
— NCAA (@NCAA) March 30, 2020
This impacts every school in Division I, as many of them have a budget for scholarships, and with that in mind the universities will be able to use the NCAA’s Student Assistance Fund to help offset the costs of the scholarships. Financial aid rules will be adjusted to help with the increased scholarship numbers.
The extra year will be a nice boon to student-athletes who would have completed their eligibility this spring, but it is a school to school decision on how much assistance they will be given. This only applies to athletes who would have been true seniors or fifth-year seniors.
There was a small change for baseball teams, as their rosters will be increased, the only sport to allow a roster change. It is at the athlete’s discretion if they want to move forward and take advantage of this eligibility extension, surely athletes across the country will take to social media to let their intentions be known.
The NCAA has made plenty of odd rulings over their history, and with COVID-19, the precedence for this wasn’t there. Unfortunately, winter sport athletes are not included in this decision and it does look gloom for extra eligibility for the athletes who participated in those sports. Although it did take some time, the NCAA made the right decision in allowing spring-sport student-athletes an opportunity to finish out their careers.