Here is the latest on the NCAA’s $2,000 stipend allowance; the program has temporarily has been suspended until January2012. When the stipend was announced, there were some that complained that allowing teams to give athletes a 2,000 stipend would give athletic departments with deep pockets an unfair advantage.
Michelle Brutlag Hosick, NCAA.org --- The new rule allowing Division I institutions to give some student-athletes an additional $2,000 miscellaneous expense allowance has been suspended until the Board of Directors convenes in January.
As of Dec. 15, enough schools – 125 – have called for an override of the legislation to prompt the automatic suspension under NCAA bylaws.
The reasons the schools cited fell into four areas: how quickly it was implemented, perceived impact on competitive equity, application of the allowance for student-athletes in equivalency sports, and implications for Title IX.
“Based on conversations I have had, I am confident that there remains a very high level of support for this permissive legislation to provide better support for our student athletes,” NCAA President Mark Emmert said.
“I am also confident that we can develop implementation changes that will address most of the concerns raised by many of our campus leaders. It is absolutely critical that we implement this legislation, for example, in a way that supports Title IX and women’s athletic programs. Modification of the legislation language can certainly achieve this essential requirement. Similarly, changes can be made that will clarify how this legislation can be implemented more smoothly and with less confusion.”
