NCAA board approves constitution changes; full vote set for January

The NCAA Board of Directors approved a re-written constitution on September 27th, 2018. The changes included changing the name of its governing body to “The National Collegiate Athletic Association” and adding “Member Institutions” as an organizational unit.

The “ncaa constitutional committee” is a group of NCAA members who review proposed changes to the constitution. The full vote will take place on January.

The NCAA board of governors overwhelmingly approved the final recommendations of its constitution committee on Thursday, bringing the organization one step closer to a new constitution to regulate collegiate sports.

One of the changes is a clarification of language that ensures that any imposed penalties do not punish programs or athletes who were not involved or implicated in the infractions “to the greatest extent possible” — a change to the typically lengthy investigative process that sometimes doesn’t end until the individuals who committed the violations have moved on.

Another modification from the second draft of the constitution, which was posted on Dec. 7, is that each institution must publish its name, image, and likeness policy.

The new constitution still prohibits pay-for-play, but players “may obtain educational and other advantages in accordance with criteria set by their NCAA division,” according to the new constitution.

At the 2022 NCAA Convention, the full NCAA membership will vote on Jan. 20. If the constitution is officially ratified, as anticipated, each of the NCAA’s three divisions will be responsible for ensuring that its regulations are compatible with the new structure. The new constitution will go into force on August 1st.

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In a message to the NCAA’s schools and conferences, Georgetown president Jack DeGioia stated, “This process has been an example of how we can work together to modernize college sports and satisfy the demands of students participating in intercollegiate athletics — now and in the future.” “With the passage of a new constitution in January, the divisions will be allowed to rewrite regulations for each division by August, allowing us to achieve our aim of altering NCAA governance to better serve our students.”

The proposed constitution maintains the current income distributions and championship prospects for each level, securing 4.37 percent for Division II and 3.18 percent for Division III, which have been in effect since January 1996. Each league is in charge of its own budget, expenditures, and member distribution.

The final version of the constitution also prioritizes diversity, inclusivity, and gender parity, as well as athletes’ physical and emotional well-being.

The NCAA’s governance is being overhauled after a difficult summer in which the organization suffered substantial legal and political setbacks. The United States Supreme Court unanimously upheld a rule in June that allowed for a gradual rise in how college athletes might be rewarded. In July, a slew of state legislation made it unlawful for schools and the NCAA to penalize collegiate athletes who profited from the sale of their name, image, or likeness.

Many in college sports had anticipated that the new constitution would simplify what they saw as a complicated and out-of-date rulebook by moving power from the NCAA’s national headquarters to the conferences and individual institutions. The previous 43-page agreement has been reduced to 20 pages, giving each of the three divisions greater autonomy in their governance.

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The “will big 12 lose power 5 status” is a question that has been circulating for awhile. The NCAA board approved the changes to the constitution, but there will be a full vote in January.