Two weeks after promising eligibility relief for the season lost to COVID-19 closures, the NCAA Division I Council voted on Monday to, “allow schools to provide spring-sport student-athletes an additional season of competition.”
Rules and regulation concerning scholarship size and five-year periods of competition are all being adjusted to accommodate spring teams carrying five classes of student-athletes. That includes exempting student-athletes who would have exhausted eligibility in 2019-20 from roster limits.
“It does present some some budget challenges for us,” Long Beach State athletics director Andy Fee said. “I don’t think we have all of the answers yet, but I think from a basic standpoint of supporting student-athletes opportunity to compete, you know, I do think there’s positives here.”
Schools have the option of giving student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility a different amount of financial aid than the level provided for 2019-20. The NCAA’s Student Assistance Fund will also help pay for scholarships for student-athletes who come back for another year.
Come back later this week for the LB Fee Show podcast with LBSU athletics director Andy Fee.
