New NCAA enforcement model goes into effect
The NCAA's reforms in the areas of bylaw infractions and punitive sanctions have now gone into effect.
By
Jerry Hinnen
•
2 min read
It didn't make substantial waves when it was first announced in January of 2012, certainly not as much as, say, the brouhaha over full-cost-of-attendance scholarships or any number of high-profile NCAA investigations. But the new NCAA enforcement model that goes into effect today might have a larger impact than any other move the NCAA makes this year.
The NCAA commemorated the new model's official arrivial with a press release reminding fans of its provisions, which include a "four-level violation structure" to replace the old major/secondary violation designations, stiffer penalties for coaches found guilty of NCAA wrongdoing, and a more consistent application of sanctions appropriate to the violations committed.
"These membership-driven changes are a great first step in our ongoing effort to improve enforcement," Lou Anna K. Simon, Michigan State president and Executive Committee chair said in the release. "The changes provide tough, fair consequences that communicate to universities, coaches, student-athletes and others that rule-breaking will not be tolerated."
The NCAA describes the four elements of the new model thusly:
A four-level violation structure to focus on the conduct breaches that seriously undermine or threaten the integrity of the NCAA constitution. This will replace the previous two-tier approach with major and secondary violations, allowing for more flexibility of defining the severity of the cases.
A new penalty structure where the severity of the consequences consistently align more predictability with the significance of the wrongdoing, while also addressing any advantage gained as a result of the wrongdoing.
Enhanced head coach accountability to foster a culture of responsibility for those who fail to direct their staff and student-athletes to follow NCAA rules. Potential consequences for head coaches include suspensions that can range from 10 percent of games to an entire season.
An emphasis on a culture among head coaches, athletic administrators and leadership and conferences to assume the shared responsibility for upholding the values of college athletics.
The four levels of violations are designated Levels I-IV, with I -- "Severe breach of conduct" -- the most egregious. (The others are labeled "Significant breach of conduct," plain ol' "Breach of conduct," and "Incidental issues.")
Also coming into effect August 1 is the new Committee on Infractions, which will feature such notable names as former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, former Georgia president Michael Adams, longtime college basketball coach Bobby Cremins, and former Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi. The full list is here.
The new model was originally developed by the NCAA's Enforcement Working Group after a scandal-plagued 2011.
"We were damn mad and not going to take it anymore," Ed Ray, Oregon State president and the working group's chair said in 2012.
At that time, the NCAA also released a visual matrix illustrating the process of assigning sanctions -- one that promised markedly tougher penalties than the NCAA has usually handed down under the old model. Whether those penalties actually materialize or not remains to be seen (this is the NCAA we're talking about), but at the very least Mark Emmert's much-derided organization is taking steps to make punishments seem more transparent and less chosen-by-Ouija-board.
There's still a long way to go to fix everything that ails the NCAA enforcement process. But it's something.
