INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA Division I Board of Directors on Wednesday approved the implementation of set time periods when athletes can enter the transfer portal and immediately be eligible to compete at their new schools, along with reforms to the enforcement process.
The proposed changes came from the Transformation Committee as part of the first phase of that group’s work.
The changes to transfer rules will go into effect immediately. Sport-specific windows will be set during an academic year when athletes would be required to enter their names in the transfer portal to be eligible immediately to compete the following school year.
Athletes in winter sports would be required to provide written notification of transfer within 60 days following the NCAA championship selections in their sport.
For spring sports, the transfer windows will be Dec. 1-15 plus a 45-day period beginning the day after championship selections are made.
In fall sports, including football, the first window will begin the day following championship selection and last 45 days. The second would be from May 1-15.
On the enforcement side, the Independent Accountability Resolution Process will be eliminated. The IARP was formed to handle complex infractions cases after the FBI’s investigation of corruption in college basketball, but it has mostly slowed down the processing of cases.
The IARP will be eliminated after current cases against Arizona, Kansas, LSU, Louisville and Memphis are adjudicated.
Other proposals focus on incentivizing cooperation between schools and NCAA staff working on infraction cases, increasing transparency and streamlining the appeals process to reduce the number of cases that are appealed.
“These changes to the overall infractions process will accelerate the timelines for infractions cases,” said Georgia President Jere Morehead, who is chairman of the D-I Board of Directors. “With the adoption of the new constitution in January, NCAA members committed to resolving cases fairly and in a timely fashion, thus holding those responsible for violations accountable and avoiding penalizing those who were not involved in rule-breaking.”
Still under consideration are proposals to modify the current penalty structure, which could lead to an elimination of postseason bans, and adjusting the size and composition of the Committee on Infractions.
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