NAIA COP Votes to Not Charge Fall/Winter Student-Athletes Season of Competition

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The NAIA’s Council of Presidents Executive Committee met Wednesday and voted not to charge fall and winter student-athletes a season of competition for the 2020-21 academic year.

This decision was based on a survey of conferences and reflects the majority feedback. Of the 19 conferences that responded, 12 were in favor of removing the 50% rule, four were in favor of keeping the 50% rule, and three were divided in their position.

“Due to the constraints that COVID-19 has imposed on collegiate athletics, most of our conferences believed it was in the best interest of our fall and winter student-athletes to not charge a season of competition this year,” said NAIA President and CEO Jim Carr. “Many factors were taken into account, but the underlying consideration was relieving pressure on both student-athletes, as well as institutions, as they continue to navigate the fall and winter seasons.”

 ABOUT NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS (NAIA) The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is a governing body of small athletics programs that are dedicated to character-driven intercollegiate athletics. NAIA members provide more than 77,000 student-athletes with opportunities to play college sports, earn $800 million in scholarships and compete in 27 national championships. naia.org | @NAIA