The NCAA Division I Subcommittee for Legislative Relief (SLR, formerly ARS) may issue a blanket waiver in order to temporarily provide relief from NCAA legislation for specific extenuating circumstances that have a reasonably demonstrated widespread impact.  Please note that the following summary of waivers is for a specific division (Division I), a specific time period and for a specific set of circumstances.  If the waiver circumstances and the time period of the waiver apply, submission of a separate waiver application is not necessary.  If an institution, conference or committee's circumstances do not meet the requirements of, or are dissimilar to, the blanket waiver, a Legislative Relief waiver application will need to be filed with the NCAA staff.

NCAA Division I Bylaw 20.8.1 (eligibility for national collegiate championships).  September 22, 2009.  The NCAA Division I Legislative Council Subcommittee for Legislative Relief approved a blanket waiver of NCAA Bylaw 20.8.1 for the 2009-10 academic year to permit institutions eligible for national collegiate championships in sports that have two-thirds of the membership in one division to follow NCAA rules of the institution's division. Currently, all sports that have the national collegiate championships as the postseason opportunity include two-thirds Division I members. It has come to the attention of the NCAA staff that Divisions II and III members have not been complying with the requirement in Bylaw 20.8.1 for several years. Thus, the blanket waiver only impacts Divisions II and III institutions; however, since this is a common legislative provision that applies to all three divisions, a blanket waiver in each division is necessary. The subcommittee noted the blanket waiver is appropriate to provide some flexibility for the 2009-10 academic year while the membership discusses solutions for this issue (e.g., legislative proposal to amend the rule, communicate compliance is required).  To view this blanket waiver in its entirety, please access SLR Case No. 12273 on LSDBi.

NCAA Division I Bylaws 12.1.1.1.3.1 (temporary certification—recruited student-athlete) and 12.1.1.1.3.2 (temporary certification—nonrecruited student-athlete).  August 25, 2009.  The NCAA Division I Legislative Council Subcommittee for Legislative Relief approved a blanket waiver to permit, for the 2009-10 academic year, recruited and nonrecruited student-athletes to engage in countable athletically related activities, except for competition, beyond the 14-day and 45-day limits noted in NCAA Bylaws 12.1.1.1.3.1 and 12.1.1.1.3.2.  Student-athletes who have requested final amateur certification and who are on the institution's Institutional Request List (IRL) may engage in countable athletically related activities, except for competition, until a final amateurism certification is completed, provided the student-athlete is otherwise eligible to practice (e.g., meets initial-eligibility requirements).  The subcommittee noted the blanket waiver is appropriate to provide some flexibility for the NCAA amateurism certification staff due to the high volume of urgent amateur cases (especially during the months of August and September) as a result of late registrants, delayed responses for additional information and the time required to complete amateurism certifications with the NCAA Eligibility Center.  Further, the subcommittee noted that student-athletes may not compete until a final certification is complete and those student-athletes who receive a final certification that prohibits them from practicing may not use this blanket waiver.  This blanket waiver only applies to amateurism certifications and does not apply to the temporary certification legislation for academic certifications in Bylaws 14.3.5.1.1 and 14.3.5.1.2.  Finally, the subcommittee noted the NCAA Division I Amateurism Cabinet will review the temporary certification legislation to determine if changes to the current 14-day and 45-day periods are appropriate.  To view this blanket waiver in its entirety, please access SLR Case No. 12200 on LSDBi.

NCAA Division I Bylaw 13.12.2.3.3 (noninstitutional privately owned football camps/clinics).  June 15, 2009.  The NCAA Division I Legislative Council Subcommittee for Legislative Relief approved with conditions, a blanket waiver to permit NCAA Division I institutional athletics department personnel to serve in any capacity (e.g., counselor, guest lecturer, consultant) in a noninstitutional, privately owned football camp or clinic that is not operated on the institution’s campus, within the state in which the institution is located or within a 50-mile radius of the institution’s campus.  The subcommittee granted the blanket waiver request with the following conditions:  (1) This is a one-time waiver request for the 2009 summer and future requests will be denied; (2) The waiver is for institutional athletics department personnel who committed (e.g., verbal agreement, written contract, etc.) prior to May 28, 2009, to serve in any capacity (e.g., counselor, guest lecturer, consultant) in a noninstitutional, privately owned football camp or clinic that is not operated on the institution’s campus, within the state in which the institution is located or, if outside the state, within a 50-mile radius of campus; (3) The camps have advertised the coach’s or institutional athletics department personnel’s participation (e.g., coach’s name or name of coach’s institution is referenced in camp brochures or on camp’s online Web site, etc.); and (4) The camps must occur during one of the institution’s designated two 15-day periods for participating in football camps and clinics.  The subcommittee granted the request based on totality of the circumstances and coach well-being.  Specifically, the subcommittee noted: (1) The demonstrated widespread misapplication of the legislation. Specifically, several Division I institutions have misapplied the football camp location restrictions as applicable only to their own institutional football camps or clinics and have not extended application of this restriction to the employment of institutional athletics department personnel at noninstitutional, privately owned football camps or clinics.  Institutions have permitted coaches and athletics department personnel to commit to participate in noninstitutional, privately owned football camps occurring outside the state of the institution and beyond a 50-miles radius of the institution’s campus; (2) The waiver only applies to those coaches or institutional athletics department personnel who committed (e.g., verbal agreement, written contract, etc.) to participate prior to the May 28, 2009, interpretation provided by NCAA staff to member conferences; (3) The institutional athletics department personnel or the camp will  incur expenses related to previously booked travel and lodging if the waiver was denied; (4) The waiver only applies to those camps that have advertised the coach’s or institutional athletics department personnel’s participation; and (5) The camps are being conducted in accordance with all other restrictions applicable to institutional camps or clinics.  To view this blanket waiver in its entirety, please access SLR Case No. 11937 on LSDBi.

NCAA Division I Bylaws 17.20.2 (preseason practice) and 17.20.3 (first contest date).  March 31, 2009.  The NCAA Division I Legislative Council Subcommittee for Legislative Relief approved a blanket waiver to permit softball programs at Division I quarter institutions to begin practice and competition during the 45-day nonchampionship segment as early as September 15, 2009, even if classes have not started for the 2009 fall term.  The subcommittee granted the request based on the totality of circumstances.  The subcommittee noted:  (1) Adjusting the start date for the nonchampionship segment helps address competitive equity concerns related to the varying academic calendars (i.e., quarter versus semester institutions) and climates of Division I institutions; (2) The change of the start date does not provide a competitive advantage for these quarter institutions impacted by the blanket waiver because the waiver is not extending the length of the 132-day playing season in the sport of softball; (3) Applicant conference will sponsor legislation for the 2009-10 legislative cycle to address this issue in the future; and (4) The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and the NCAA Division I Women's Softball Committee supported the blanket waiver request.  To view this blanket waiver in its entirety, please access SLR Case No. 11653 on LSDBi.