NCAA to address recruiting

Executive Committee likely to approve proposals

? Colleges will have to file recruiting policies with their conferences, and could be sanctioned for violating them if the NCAA’s Executive Committee approves an emergency proposal today.

The legislation would take effect immediately and require schools to file policies before potential players make on-campus visits this year.

A final policy would have to be filed by Dec. 1. Violators would face school-imposed sanctions and could face NCAA penalties if it is determined the infraction was “fundamentally contrary” to the stated policy.

“This is intended to provide clarity,” said David Berst, an NCAA vice president and chairman of the task force. “It may not change the culture. In order for a general shift, there will have to be more movement by the schools and coaches.”

Berst’s 18-member panel was formed by NCAA president Myles Brand in February after recruiting scandals emerged at the University of Colorado and the University of Miami.

Three women filed federal civil lawsuits earlier this year that said Colorado failed to protect the women under federal Title IX law, which guarantees equal access to an education.

At Miami, incoming freshman Willie Williams pleaded no contest earlier this summer in two separate episodes that occurred during his official visit to the University of Florida. He faced a felony charge for setting off fire extinguishers at his hotel and a misdemeanor battery charge for hugging a woman without consent.

Miami officials said they learned of Williams’ arrest record only after they offered him a scholarship. Williams was admitted to Miami in July.

The proposal was intended to alter what some believe has become commonplace.

“We discussed the Colorado situation at length in one of my classes — we actually did a study,” said Richard Lapchick, chairman of Central Florida’s sports business management program. “The students from Ivy League schools said it was hardly limited to big-school football programs, that these same things — sexual favors and strippers — were taking place on Ivy League campuses.”

If the package is approved, the use of private and charter jets for recruits would be eliminated. Recruits only could be transported from airports in school or standard-equipped vehicles. Berst said he expected opposition from schools located in rural areas.

In addition, schools would have to use “standard” facilities to house and feed recruits.

“Anything between dorm food and local restaurants would be OK,” Berst said. “It’s intended to make clear that you can’t have a lobster-fest type thing and see how many you can eat.”