Time Out: Gridiron Bash Postponed Over NCAA Rule Interpretation
MSL Sports & Entertainment Saturday (MSLSE) announced the Gridiron Bash, an event which "sought to turn spring football games at 16 schools across the country into a weekend entertainment event," has been postponed until later this fall "due to an NCAA interpretation that would limit student athletes involvement in the event," according to Aaron Suttles of the TUSCALOOSA NEWS. MSLSE President Shawn Garrity: "The issue over player participation has caused confusion among the schools during this critical window of time in which they had left to properly promote the event." Garrity said the issue of student-athletes' participation was raised by a "member [SEC] institution to the SEC," and the SEC forwarded the issue to the NCAA. Garrity: "Whoever raised this issue misrepresented what the student-athlete would be doing at the event to the NCAA. In accord with our commitment to each university that had agreed to participate with us, we would not risk the eligibility of a player and so we unselfishly decided to cancel the event." Garrity added that MSLSE had planned to "straighten out the misinformation to the NCAA, but the timing was too close to the spring games to chance an athlete's eligibility." The Univ. of Alabama (UA) had sold 10,000 tickets for its scheduled April 11 Gridiron Bash (TUSCALOOSA NEWS, 3/30). SEC Associate Commissioner for Media Relations Charles Bloom: "It is against NCAA rules for student-athletes to participate in a for-profit venture." In Birmingham, Ian Rapoport reported the cancellation of the Gridiron Bash meant UA's athletic department "will likely miss out on a $1[M] donation to its scholarship fund." UA was "winning by a landslide" a fan contest based on text message votes and attendance at spring games that would award a $1M scholarship to the winning school (BIRMINGHAM NEWS, 3/30). Univ. of Iowa Associate AD for External Affairs Rich Klatt said that Iowa had "no plans for the Gridiron Bash that involved student-athletes" (KCRG.com, 3/30). Schools scheduled to host Gridiron Bashes included: Alabama, Iowa, Tennessee, Kentucky, LSU, South Carolina, Arizona State, Penn State, Texas A&M, Army, West Virginia, Colorado, Kansas State, Maryland, Rutger and Utah (KNOXVILLE NEWS-SENTINEL, 3/30).
REAX: The NCAA in a statement Sunday called MSLSE's claims inaccurate and said that MSLSE elected to postpone the concerts on their own accord, and not under the direction of the NCAA. The NCAA never expressed any concern with the actual event being conducted as scheduled, but only with the participation of student-athletes as part of the for-profit event. The NCAA noted that MSLSE did not contact the NCAA to ensure compliance until last week (NCAA). MSLSE Partner Ed Manetta yesterday said that the "involvement of athletes was important because this 'was always intended to be a football celebration.'" Manetta said that athletes "would not promote the event but would be involved, in some cases, with a pep rally or introductions or even running drills" (USA TODAY, 3/31).
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