NCAA's Emmert Says Proposed Scholarship Reforms Are On The Right Track

NCAA President Mark Emmert Thursday at the NCAA Convention said that he thinks the governing body “is on the right track with reforms such as one that will directly tie playoff eligibility to academic performance,” according to Kyle Neddenriep of the INDIANAPOLIS STAR. Emmert has “talked often of the need for change and the importance of acting quickly” since becoming the NCAA's fifth president in October '10. The proposals of “raising the scholarship cap in Division I by $2,000 to cover the ‘full cost of attendance’ and allowing schools to offer multiyear scholarships” will be voted on Saturday by the Division I BOD. Emmert said that the Student-Athlete Well-Being Working Group will “recommend to the board to ‘stay the course’ and not modify the position on the multiyear scholarship plan.” He also said that the group “will propose some modifications to raising the scholarship cap to comply with Title IX.” Emmert said of the perception problem in college athletics, “There is confusion about who is actually in charge. We need to clarify who is in charge, what different groups' roles are and what they aren't. Presidents and boards of universities and colleges need to be fully in charge of and responsible for their athletic programs.” He added, “Conferences have to do more than just maximize revenue. ... They have to understand that being a fan doesn't mean you are in charge” (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 1/13). USA TODAY’s Steve Wieberg notes most of Emmert’s focus during the convention “was on the reforms.” The proposals “come amid a spate of major college athletics scandals.” Emmert said, “Here we are at the curious fork in the road. And we have to decide: Are we going to ... make the changes that we have to make, even the ones that are hard to make but bring the collegiate model up to date in the 21st century, consistent with our values as academic enterprises? Or are we going to wave the white flag, throw in the towel and say, ‘Look it’s too much. Let’s just pretend that this is all about playing games. It’s all about driving the most attention we can to football and men’s basketball. Take the money and run’?” (USA TODAY, 1/13).

SUPPORT FOR A PLAYOFF: The AP’s Michael Marot reported Emmert “would support a four-team playoff in college football -- as long as the field doesn't grow.” Emmert acknowledged Thursday that he would “back a small playoff if that's what Bowl Championship Series officials decide to adopt.” He said, “The notion of having a Final Four approach is probably a sound one. Moving toward a 16-team playoff is highly problematic because I think that's too much to ask a young man's body to do.” BCS Exec Dir Bill Hancock Tuesday said that “50-60 possibilities for various changes were presented during a deliberate meeting in New Orleans.” Emmert has long said that he “expected changes to the BCS system and has repeatedly offered to help the BCS debate if they want it.” The NCAA “licenses bowl games but does not run them” and has “no direct authority over the BCS system” (AP, 1/12). Yahoo Sports’ Pat Forde said there will be a "real push for a plus-one at the very least” this offseason. Forde: “We kind of reached the saturation point. People are ready for change. The numbers indicate it in terms of ratings, in terms of ticket sales, in terms of the general width that you get out there of discontent from the fans." Forde said Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott “will be a very key person in this when the discussions get serious in the spring.” CBS' Tony Barnhart said, “I get the since that there's a number of these BCS commissioners, they want to be in the national championship business but I think they want to get out of the bowl business because they're getting blamed for everything.” Forde agreed and added, “The backlash tends to come home to roost on more people than just the bowl games” ("The Tony Barnhart Show," CBS Sports Network, 1/12).

UNDER SURVEILLANCE: CBSSPORTS.com’s Bryan Fischer wrote, “No matter how much progress there is this week out of the NCAA, there is still a very long and bumpy road ahead. ... Facts are facts and while the organization has finally pulled its head out of the sand, the microscope on Emmert and others will never be greater.” It is “not hyperbole to state that the next six months could determine the fate of intercollegiate athletics for decades -- something all involved understand” (CBSSPORTS.com, 1/12).