It’s official. The NCAA granted a waiver to allow additional eligibility for spring sports athletes whose seasons were cut short from the coronavirus.
DI Council grants waiver to allow additional eligibility for spring sport athletes whose seasons were impacted by COVID-19: https://t.co/aC03MEa5UQ pic.twitter.com/XeVaxI85Ib
— Inside the NCAA (@InsidetheNCAA) March 30, 2020
Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic first reported the news.
Source tells @TheAthleticCFB that the NCAA Division I Council has approved blanket waiver for all spring-sport athletes to get an extra year of eligibility. Schools will be able to offer less (or zero) aid or match what they provided this year. Up to each school for each athlete.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) March 30, 2020
The spring sports season was canceled just as it was starting and while it’s great for seniors looking to play one final year, this isn’t great for athletes who expected additional playing time next season. All in all, this was the correct decision, although I would imagine this makes for some awkward conversations deciding on scholarships.
No reports came out yet regarding winter athletes, so we shall see what this means for college basketball players.
Check out DeceptiveSpeed.com when the official reports come out, which should be any minute now.
Keep the conversation going by reaching out to Erik Buchinger on Twitter or email erik@deceptivespeed.com.