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NCAA ripping through red tape to reign in
recruiting
By The Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS — Denouncing a
"culture of entitlement" in which recruits are treated as campus celebrities
and in some cases enticed with sex and alcohol, the NCAA will give immediate
attention to reforms prompted in large part by the Colorado recruiting
scandal.
Normally, the association can
take months or years to implement a change of rules, but president Myles
Brand has asked that the proposals be treated as "emergency legislation" and
be put into effect this summer.
"I think there's no question
the Colorado situation acted as a catalyst for the task force," Brand said
after a two-hour meeting of the Division I Management Council, which heard
the recommendations Tuesday.
"The problem existed, and
probably later rather than sooner we would have addressed it. But with the
catalyst, we addressed it now in a more efficient time frame."
Brand formed the task force in
February following allegations by two women who said Colorado football
players or recruits raped them at a party in 2001. A third woman said she
was assaulted in a dorm room shortly afterward, and since 1997, at least
eight women have accused Colorado football players of rape.
Coach Gary Barnett was
suspended pending investigations of whether the football program used sex
and alcohol to entice recruits, and the university last month announced new
guidelines for recruiting visits, including one night's stay instead of two.
There also will be an 11 p.m.
curfew, all activities will be supervised by parents or coaches, and
recruits will be prohibited from going to bars, strip clubs or private
parties.
"Colorado hoped to address the
culture of entitlement by putting in place certain restrictions, and that's
important," Brand said. "We can argue about whether they're the right
restrictions or not.
"But part of the issue is the
accountability. A single institution cannot address national accountability.
For that, you do need a national organization, one that also has the ability
to sanction when things go wrong. So the task force actually goes much
farther than Colorado could possibly have gone by itself."
The task force recommendations
include a requirement that each NCAA school adopt a written policy on
recruiting and who is to be held accountable for compliance. They also
include a requirement that hosts for athletes either be members of the teams
for which the prospects are being recruited or others chosen the same way
the college provides hosts to prospective students.
The group also urged requiring
recruits and hosts to sign a form agreeing not to engage in inappropriate
conduct as defined by the college.
"There are a couple of things
we're trying to accomplish," said David Berst, NCAA vice president for
Division I. "Why continue to treat prospects as primary celebrities rather
than try to emphasize an environment where we're trying to ensure that the
prospect and the prospect's family makes an informed decision about the
school?"
It's also important, Berst
said, to make it clear "in no uncertain terms that things like alcohol and
the use of sex in the recruitment of prospective student-athletes will not
be tolerated."
No votes on any proposals were
taken.
The Management Council will
report the recommendations to the NCAA Board of Directors at its meeting
April 29 and send a revised proposal to the member conferences in late
spring or early summer before going back to the board in July or August.
"That accountability measure
will be worked into the final version," Brand said. "It's my expectation
there will be a final vote this summer and that it will be in place for the
next recruiting season."
Copyright 2004
The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
02/23/2007 10:41:11 AM
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