Coronavirus: Athlete-rights group wants NCAA to allow third parties to be able to pay for player expenses
As college sports have been brought to a standstill because of the coronavirus, the National College Players Association is asking the NCAA to make significant changes to its rules during the pandemic.
The player rights advocacy group is asking for the NCAA to allow third parties to pay for athletes’ expenses, including food, rent, utilities, and other fees. That includes health insurance and any necessary medical expenses.
“COVID-19 is highlighting just how unjust NCAA rules are. We’re facing the prospect that many athletes in spring sports and now possibly those in fall sports are abiding by NCAA rules that will make them more vulnerable to the coronavirus’ economic fallout without getting to use their eligibility,” NCPA president Ramogi Huma said in a letter to the NCAA released Thursday. “Those who do play may be stuck paying their own medical coverage and expenses while facing a heightened risk of contracting coronavirus and passing it along to loved ones. In contrast, overpaid coaches and athletic directors aren’t worrying about their medical coverage.”
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The NCPA’s letter comes two days after Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said that he was hoping football staffers could go back to work in the team facilities on May 1. After staffers would be allowed to go back to work following negative coronavirus tests in his theory, Gundy said he’d then want players to come back to campus to start preparing for the season.
The Big 12 and other conferences have put a moratorium on all team activities until May 31 and administrators have been in wait-and-see mode when it comes to the impacts of the coronavirus on football preparations as numerous schools have pushed their summer classes to online only. In his comments on Tuesday, Gundy said he wasn’t opposed to sequestering players in one dormitory to keep them isolated in preparation for the football season because the state of Oklahoma needed the economic impacts that college football provided.
Hours before the NCPA’s letter was officially released, Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy (D) took note of Gundy’s comments. Murphy has been at the forefront of the federal effort to give college athletes more power.
Here Oklahoma St. football coach Mike Gundy argues to ignore the risk that unpaid college athletes will get COVID “because we need to run money through the state”.
Sometimes the secret is said out loud: college football isn’t about “student-athletes”. It’s about the money. pic.twitter.com/C3jKhhk6TC— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) April 9, 2020
NCPA also asking for NIL changes
One of the other emergency requests being made by the NCPA is for college athletes to have immediate freedom to make money off their name, image and likeness. Athletes are still prohibited under NCAA rules from taking endorsement and sponsorship money, though the NCAA is slowly moving forward with loosening those restrictions as multiple states have moved to allow athletes to make money off their likenesses.
The group also wants all spring sport athletes granted an extra year of eligibility to be able to transfer without penalty if a school cannot guarantee the same scholarship level for the upcoming season. The NCAA moved to allow spring sport athletes an extra year of eligibility in March, though those who were seniors in 2020 aren’t guaranteed the same scholarship money in 2021 if they choose to return.
It’s important to note that the NCPA has no official power to compel the NCAA to make any rules changes, though the association’s stature has grown as public opinion has shifted in favor of athletes’ rights in recent years. The NCPA did call for the NCAA tournaments to be played without fans in February as the COVID-19 pandemic began to blossom. The NCAA did make the decision to play the tournaments without fans, though it quickly moved to cancel the tournaments altogether as the severity of the pandemic worsened.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
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