Compliance

Alumni, Fans & Boosters	Prospective Student-Athletes	Current Red Wolves	Coaches & Staff
Agents	Compliance Brochure	Compliance Forms

 

 

Current Red Wolves

Welcome all new and returning student-athletes to ASU.  ASU Athletics takes great pride in the fact that our student-athletes are some of the best in the country -- both on and off the field! The first step to following the rules is knowing the rules, so this page is intended to be a resource for our student-athletes. This university, with its rich academic and athletic tradition, is committed to excellence in all areas of campus life. Our athletic family is proud to be a part of your college experience.

Student-athletes are required to adhere to NCAA, Sun Belt Conference, and university rules and regulations throughout their enrollment at ASU. These rules are very complex and the Compliance Office exists to help you understand these rules and to ensure that you do not put yourself in situations that could jeopardize your eligibility. Failure to comply with all rules and regulations could result in you becoming immediately ineligible for intercollegiate competition, loss of athletic aid, and/or termination from an athletics team. The golden rule for compliance is always: ASK BEFORE YOU ACT! The Office of Athletics Compliance is ALWAYS available; call, e-mail or stop in with any questions or concerns!

 

Gambling

Continuing Eligibility

• You must have and maintain a 1.8 GPA prior to your third semester.
• You must have and maintain a 1.9 GPA prior to your fifth semester.
• You must have and maintain a 2.0 GPA prior to your seventh semester.

 

Examples of Impermissible Extra Benefits:

• The use of an automobile
• Giving a loan or helping to secure a loan
• Discounts on services, like dry cleaning or car repair
• Discounts on purchases, such as clothing or airline tickets
• The use of a cell phone or phone card
• Receipt of services from businesses, like movie tickets or dinner

Examples of Permissible Benefits the institution may provide:

• Athletics scholarships
• Appropriate equipment for practice and competition
• Travel expenses for competition
• Complimentary admissions to their contests for family and friends
• Awards to recognize their participation and achievement
• Medical treatment
• Academic support services

 

Additional Rules Related to Extra Benefits

Free or Reduced-Cost Services

An athletics representative may not provide a student-athlete with professional services (for which a fee normally would be charged) without charge or at a reduced cost except as permitted elsewhere in this bylaw. Professional services provided at less than the normal rate or at no expense to a student-athlete are considered an extra benefit unless they are available on the same basis to the general student body.

Telephones and Credit Cards

It is not permissible to allow a student-athlete to use a telephone or credit card for personal reasons without charge or at a reduced cost.

Entertainment Services

A student-athlete may not receive services (e.g., movie tickets, dinners, use of car) from commercial agencies (e.g., movie theaters, restaurants, car dealers) without charge or at reduced rates, or free or reduced-cost admission to professional athletics contests from professional sports organizations, unless such services also are available to the student body in general.

Other Prohibited Benefits

An institutional employee or representative of the institution's athletics interests may not provide a student-athlete with extra benefits or services, including, but not limited to:

(a) A loan of money;
(b) A guarantee of bond;
(c) An automobile or the use of an automobile;
(d) Transportation (e.g., a ride home with a coach), except as permitted in 16.9.1-(e), even if the student-athlete reimburses the institution or the staff member for the appropriate amount of the gas or expense; or
(e) Signing or co-signing a note with an outside agency to arrange a loan.

 

Agents

NCAA Rules

NCAA rules state that a student-athlete cannot have a written or verbal agreement with an agent or anyone who will market the student-athlete's athletics ability or reputation. Also, a student-athlete may not agree, verbally or in writing, to have an agent represent them in the future.

Who is an agent?

An agent is anyone who markets your athletics ability or reputation. Whether or not someone calls themselves an agent, if they perform the functions of an agent under NCAA rules, they are considered an agent. Activities such as these would make someone an agent:

• Negotiating with a professional team
• Contacting a professional team on your behalf
• Arranging tryouts with professional teams
• Sitting in on your negotiations with a professional team

Advisors

A student-athlete may have an advisor to help them evaluate their professional opportunities, but they must be careful that their advisor does not engage in any activities that would make them an agent under NCAA rules. As a good rule of thumb, an advisor can talk to you and your family, but if they are talking about you to any third parties (professional teams, media, scouts) they have probably crossed the line to being an agent.

 

NCAA rules regarding agents are below:

General Rule

An individual shall be ineligible for participation in an intercollegiate sport if he or she ever has agreed (orally or in writing) to be represented by an agent for the purpose of marketing his or her athletics ability or reputation in that sport. Further, an agency contract not specifically limited in writing to a sport or particular sports shall be deemed applicable to all sports, and the individual shall be ineligible to participate in any sport.

Representation for Future Negotiations

An individual shall be ineligible per Bylaw 12.3.1 if he or she enters into a verbal or written agreement with an agent for representation in future professional sports negotiations that are to take place after the individual has completed his or her eligibility in that sport.

Benefits from Prospective Agents

Promotional Activities

• A student-athlete may not attend functions which cause them to miss practices, competitions, classes, study sessions, summer school, medical appointments or other institutional obligations. It is extremely difficult for student-athletes to fulfill requests during their official playing season.

• Requests to utilize a student-athlete's name or image to promote the commercial sponsors or supporters of a charitable, educational or nonprofit agency WILL NOT be approved. The ASU Compliance Department can provide more detail regarding these restrictions upon request.

• Student-athletes may neither endorse nor promote commercial products or retail businesses.

• Non-athletics University groups, non-profit agencies and charitable agencies MAY NOT use ASU trademark logos for promotion of their activity even if a student-athlete is participating in the function.

• Fund-raising activities associated with student-athlete appearances must directly benefit ASU, an ASU group, or the charitable, educational or non-profit agency.

• With any appearance or activity, student-athletes may not accept benefits in excess of actual and necessary expenses to attend the function.

• Sales of items that utilize a student-athlete's name, picture or likeness are strictly prohibited.

• All uses of student-athlete images on web sites, collateral material, publications, invitations, programs and other items must be sent to ASU Athletics Compliance for proofing and approval. No exceptions.

 

Playing and Practice Seasons

NCAA regulations limit the length of playing and practice seasons. The following are permissible activities for enrolled student-athletes:

During the Playing Season

Student-athletes may engage in only 4 hours per day and 20 hours per week of countable athletically related activities. A countable athletically related activity is any activity with an athletics purpose involving student-athletes that occurs at the direction of or supervised by one or more institutional coaching staff members (including strength and conditioning coaches).

Outside the Playing Season - Academic Year
In sports other than football:

• Student-athletes may be required to participate in up to eight hours per week of required strength and conditioning activities and individualized skill instruction.
• No more than four hours of the permissible eight can consist of individualized skill instruction.
• Student-athletes must be given two days off from required activities per week.

In football:

• Student-athletes must be given nine designated weeks of discretionary time (in which there are no required/recommended activities) between January 1 and the beginning of voluntary summer conditioning in June.
• Outside the nine weeks of discretionary time, student-athletes may be required to participate in up to eight hours per week of required strength and conditioning activities and film review.
• No skill instruction is permitted outside of the playing season in football. However, game film review may be required for up to two of the eight permissible hours per week.
• Spring practice may occur for up to four hours per day on 15 designated practice dates.
• Student-athletes must be given two days off from required activities per week, even during spring practice.

Outside the Playing Season - Vacation Periods
In sports other than football and basketball:

• Student-athletes may engage in voluntary workouts at Athletic Department facilities. ASU's strength and conditioning coaches may design and conduct specific workout programs for returning student-athletes, provided those workouts are entirely voluntary and are conducted at the request of the student-athlete.
• In individual sports (cross country, track, golf, and tennis), student-athletes may also engage in voluntary one-on-one workouts conducted and supervised by an institution's coach.

In football:

• Student-athletes may participate in required conditioning activities in the presence of a position coach.  No more than eight hours per week, over an eight week period during the summer terms, are permitted per student-athlete.  Two of those hours may be used for film review.
• For incoming freshmen and transfers, they must be enrolled in summer school in order to participate.  Returning student-athletes may participate, without being enrolled in summer school, if they meet certain academic requirements.
• Outside the eight designated weeks, student-athletes may work out at their discretion. No countable or strength coaches can be involved with discretionary workouts, except that strength coaches may monitor the facility for health and safety purposes.

In basketball:

• Student-athletes may participate in required conditioning and skill instruction activities in the presence of a position coach.  No more than eight hours per week, over an eight week period during the summer terms, are permitted per student-athlete.  Four of those hours may be used for skill instruction.

• For incoming freshmen and transfers, they must be enrolled in summer school in order to participate.  Returning student-athletes may participate, without being enrolled in summer school, if they meet certain academic requirements.

 

During the Academic Year

• With some exceptions, student-athletes may not compete on an outside team during the academic year. To determine whether a student-athlete's outside competition meets one of the exceptions under NCAA rules, please contact the Compliance office.
• Student-athletes competing on outside amateur teams may not receive any benefits from those teams except for actual and necessary expenses for competition.
• Student-athletes may participate in individual competition during the academic year, if it has been approved by Compliance. In order for a competition to be considered individual outside competition, a student-athlete may not receive any expenses associated with the competition from an outside team or ASU and may not participate as a representative of any outside team.
• Student-athletes should not miss class for outside competition or for practice with outside teams.
• Student-athletes participating in outside competition may not receive any expenses from ASU for the competition, such as travel expenses, uniforms, or coaching. If ASU provides these expenses the student-athlete is considered to be representing ASU in the competition and the competition must be counted toward the maximum competition limit established by the NCAA.

Summer Leagues - Basketball

Student-athletes in the sport of basketball are required by NCAA rules to obtain written permission from the Athletic Director prior to engaging in any summer league activities. Student-athletes must participate in NCAA-certified leagues, and no more than two ASU basketball players or four ASU baseball players may compete on any certified summer league team.

 

NCAA Drug Testing Policies

NCAA Banned-Drug Classes

The NCAA list of banned-drug classes is subject to change by the NCAA Executive Committee. Contact NCAA education services or www.ncaa.org/sports_sciences/drugtesting for the current list. The term "related compounds" comprises substances that are included in the class by their pharmacological action and/or chemical structure. No substance belonging to the prohibited class may be used, regardless of whether it is specifically listed as an example.

Many nutritional/dietary supplements contain NCAA banned substances. In addition, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not strictly regulate the supplement industry; therefore purity and safety of nutritional/dietary supplements cannot be guaranteed. Impure supplements may lead to a positive NCAA drug test. The use of supplements is at the student-athlete's own risk. Student-athletes should contact their institution's team physician or athletic trainer for further information.

Banned-drug classes include:

• Stimulants
• Anabolic Agents
• Diuretics
• Street Drugs
• Peptide Hormones and Analogues

NCAA Penalties

This is only a summary of NCAA drug testing rules. ASU has a separate drug-testing program with its own penalties that are laid out in the student-athlete handbook.

• 1st Offense: The first positive test for a banned substance results in the student-athlete becoming ineligible to compete in regular season and post-season competition for at least one calendar year following the positive test. The student-athlete will also be charged with the loss of a minimum of one season of competition in all sports.

• 2nd Offense: A second positive test will result in the loss of all remaining eligibility in all sports.

 

Employment

(For Compliance Publications and Forms regarding Student-Athlete employment, please visit the Compliance Forms tab.) 

Employment Guidelines:

DO's

• Student-athletes must have prior approval from the Compliance office before he or she begins any job, regardless of the type of employment! (See approval forms below.)
• Student-athletes should go through the same hiring process as all other employees.
• Student-athletes should be paid (1.) only for work actually performed, and (.2) at a rate commensurate with the going rate in that locality for similar services.
• Student-athletes should be provided only those benefits, like free uniforms or meals during work hours, that are provided to all employees.
• Student-athletes should be treated as the employer would any employee doing similar work when it comes to things like, time off, breaks, scheduling, etc.

• Student-athletes should not be paid based on the value he or she may have for their employer's business due to their athletics reputation or ability.

• Student-athletes' names or images may not be used to promote their employer's business or any commercial product or service.

• Student-athletes may not be paid for endorsing a commercial product or service or using that product or service.

• Student-athletes may not receive transportation from their employers (for work or otherwise) unless the employer provides it for all of their employees.

  

A-State Guidelines for Transferring from the Institution

Per NCAA Bylaws 13.1.1.3, 13.1.1.3.1 and 13.1.1.3.2, when the Compliance Office is notified, in writing, by an A-State student-athlete requesting Permission to Contact another institution for the purposes of transferring, the Compliance Office will enter the student-athlete's information into the NCAA Transfer Portal within two business days of the written request. This will then allow the student athlete to contact, or be contacted by, another institution. Upon transferring to the student athlete's new institution, if the student-athlete leaves A-State academically eligible, they will be eligible for athletics aid at their new institution. Please note that A-State will reserve the right to grant or deny the one-time transfer exception for immediate eligibility to the institution the student-athlete transfers to.

Also be aware that if a student-athlete provides a written notification of transfer, the institution may reduce or cancel their financial aid at the end of the semester or academic year. If a student-athlete provides written notification between semesters (winter break, summer break), the institution may reduce or cancel the aid immediately. Once a student-athlete provides written notification for transferring, the Compliance Office will alert the sport's head coach. To ensure academic success and progress at the student-athlete's next institution, A-State encourages those student-athletes looking to transfer to have earned a 2.60 GPA or higher before withdrawing. Please follow the steps below when providing written notification to transfer to another institution.

1. Meet with the Senior Associate Athletics Director/Compliance or Assistant Director/Compliance to start the transfer/exit interview process and complete the notification of transfer form; and

2. Meet with the student-athlete's academic counselor to discuss the importance of transferring from the institution as academically eligible and to formulate an academic game plan to remain eligible.

Student-athletes who are looking to transfer to another institution may be restricted from access to benefits and services provided to student athletes, in general (e.g., academic support, sports medicine, athletic facilities, etc.). These restrictions will be determined on a case-by-case basis.