The NCAA Division I Board of Directors on Tuesday voted to delay the effective date of a rules change to allow student-athletes and school athletics department staff members to permissibly bet on professional sports under NCAA rules.
The rule change now will not take effect until Nov. 22.
According to CBS News, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey expressed concerns over the new rules in a letter to NCAA president Charlie Baker that SEC presidents. Representing chancellors in the league, Sankey expressed concerns with the legislation's impacts on competition, integrity and athlete well-being.
"On behalf of our universities, I write to urge action by the NCAA Division I Board of Directors to rescind this change and reaffirm the Association's commitment to maintaining strong national standards that keep collegiate participants separated from sports wagering activity at every level," Sankey said in his letter to the NCAA. "If there are legal or practical concerns about the prior policy, those should be addressed through careful refinement — not through wholesale removal of the guardrails that have long supported the integrity of games and the well-being of those who participate."
Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi called the legislation "absolutely one of the stupidest decisions I've ever seen."
"First of all, it's a habit," Narduzzi said. "It's no different than smoking, drinking, doing drugs, it's a bad habit. I don't think anyone here encourages you guys to go out drinking and getting smashed on a Friday night or Saturday night, or at a ball game."
The NCAA Division I legislative process allows a rule change to be rescinded within 30 days of becoming final if two thirds of the division's members submit an electronic request supporting rescission. Because that rescission window extends to Nov. 21, the board determined an effective date after that window was appropriate.
Sports betting rules are the same across all three divisions. Division III voted Oct. 21 and Division II voted Oct. 22 to change the rules, but the Division I pause also delays the effective date for Divisions II and III.
