Agents land place in NCAA rule reforms

INDIANAPOLIS >> Agents will have at least a limited place within the NCAA structure when it comes to college basketball.

The NCAA’s rule changes include allowing players to work with an agent while declaring for the NBA draft. College players would have to request an evaluation from the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee on their draft prospects. The rules would also allow elite high school players to work with an agent if the NBA removes its one-and-done rule.

The agent would have to be certified by the NCAA no later than August 2020. Until then, agents certified by the NBA players’ union would qualify.

Agents would be allowed to cover minimal expenses such as meals and transportation tied to meetings or workouts with pro teams. The agent’s work would stop if the player enrolls in or returns to college.

The process to adopt multiple recommendations for NCAA reforms from the Rice Commission was a swift one by the governing body’s standards. The commission, charged with finding reforms in the wake of an FBI investigation into corruption within college basketball, issued its report in late April, a little more than three months ago.

The changes also allow the NCAA to accept during investigations outside information that has been “established by another administrative body or a commission authorized by a school.”

The NCAA says that will save time since investigators would no longer have to independently confirm information outlined by other agencies or outside investigations.

In addition, school presidents and athletics staff will be required to commit “contractually” to cooperate fully with investigations.

In a teleconference with reporters, Georgia Tech president and Board of Governors chairman Bud Peterson said those changes would “normally take us about two years through the governance process.”