US: NCAA eases rules on athlete transfers

College athletes will no longer need permission from their coach or school to transfer and receive financial aid from another school, reported USA Today.  This rule provides a change to NCAA rules that have been the subject of student antitrust lawsuits.

The NCAA Division I Council approved the change effective Oct. 15 on Wednesday. The council also decided that D-I football players will be allowed to play in up to four games in a season without losing a year of eligibility if they can no longer play because of injuries “or other factors.”

Under the new rule, athletes would be permitted to be contacted when they notify their current coaches, who have two days to enter the names into a database created and managed by the NCAA that will alert schools who can be recruited. The change will come with stricter tampering rules to help appease coaches who worry illegal recruiting could rise.

“The (NCAA) membership showed today that it supports this significant change in transfer rules,” Justin Sell, chair of the Division I transfer working group and athletics director at South Dakota State, said in a statement.

Full Content: Law 360 & USA Today

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