The NCAA and the University of Kentucky are working cooperatively to examine the eligibility of basketball student-athlete Randolph Morris.
While the NCAA will not comment further on a pending case, the national office and the University of Kentucky together felt it necessary to explain the student-athlete reinstatement process.
Upon completion of the cooperative investigation, should the university determine a student is ineligible for competition, the institution may choose to seek reinstatement of the student-athlete from the NCAA national office.
During the reinstatement process, the NCAA reinstatement staff considers a number of factors: guidelines established by the Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement; any relevant case precedent; the student-athlete?s responsibility for the violation; and any mitigating factors presented by the institution.
There are three possible results: reinstatement, non-reinstatement or reinstatement with conditions.
In examining cases where there is involvement of amateurism issues, the first question the reinstatement staff must determine is did the student-athlete cross the threshold and professionalize him or herself to the point where reinstatement is not warranted.
If it is determined that reinstatement is warranted, the reinstatement staff considers the specifics of a particular violation to determine if conditions are warranted.
For example, in cases involving the receipt of monetary benefits, the general condition would require repayment and additionally assess the responsibility of the student-athlete for the violation. The Division I Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement has established general guidelines for withholding from competition based on the dollar amount of the benefit received. For violations where the benefit is less the $100 the condition would generally just require repayment. For violations over $100, repayment would be required and the student-athlete would be withheld from competition based on the following:
$101-$299 = 10 percent withholding
$300 – $500 = 20 percent withholding
$501 and over = 30 percent withholding.
These withholdings would exclude exhibition contests.
It is important to note that these are base guidelines and other factors may increase or decrease a withholding condition. Specifically, if a student-athlete should have asked questions before engaging in the activity, should have known the activity was not permissible or knowingly committed a violation of NCAA rules, the penalty will likely be more significant or reinstatement may even be denied. In addition, a large dollar amount could result in a more significant withholding condition. Finally, benefits provided from an agent generally result in the withholding percentage being increased.
Therefore, it is premature to speculate on which of these guidelines would apply in a case not yet considered by the reinstatement staff.
The NCAA and the University of Kentucky are working in cooperation to ensure this case receives a thorough review and a fair and timely outcome.
