A week after recommending that eligibility relief should be provided to all student-athletes who participate in spring sports, the NCAA Division I Council Committee announced it will vote on the issue March 30.
The committee believes the NCAA should provide a framework to allow schools to provide eligibility relief, but a release announcing the vote and other actions related to the coronavirus pandemic noted that schools will also have the "autonomy to make their own decisions in the best interest of their campus, conference and student-athletes."
This sets up the possibility that schools could choose not to award an extra year for its student-athletes impacted by the cancellation of the 2020 spring season.
"The [committee] recognizes that this local decision-making is made more challenging by the implications of COVID-19," council chair Dr. Grace Calhoun wrote. "However, providing a broader regulatory relief framework will allow campuses and conferences to make decisions they believe are in their collective best interest."
The committee also plans to discuss ways to support impacted winter sports athletes, although it's unlikely they will be granted an extra year of eligibility, sources told ESPN.
As part of the same announcement, the committee issued blanket waivers for some membership requirements (such as minimum sport sponsorships) and waived the deadline for schools in the process of reclassifying to submit their strategic plans.
Schools will also be permitted to reimburse student-athletes for expenses related to the cancellation of foreign trips and recruits for expenses incurred for canceled official and unofficial recruiting visits.
Baseball, beach volleyball, men's and women's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, rowing, softball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track and field, men's volleyball and women's water polo are all classified as spring sports by the NCAA.