NCAA Board Of Directors Says One-Time Transfer Waiver Is ‘Not Appropriate At This Time’

The NCAA Board of Governors announced Thursday that changes to NCAA waiver guidelines “are not appropriate at this time.”

The announcement comes as the NCAA could vote as soon as May 20 to allow a one-time transfer waiver for the approximately 800 players in the NCAA transfer portal, making them immediately eligible for the 2020-21 season.

“The board agreed to lift the moratorium on transfer legislation for the 2020-21 legislative cycle but recommended to the Council that changes to the waiver process as suggested by the working group are not appropriate at this time,” the statement reads. “Board members recommended the waiver process be sensitive to student-athlete well-being, especially those impacted by COVID-19 in the interim period.”

College coaches generally oppose the one-time transfer waiver, while advocates for student-athletes support it.

“I strongly oppose the proposed one-time immediate eligibility transfer waiver rule, and instead support the current year-in-residence requirement in men’s basketball,” Purdue coach Matt Painter wrote last month in a letter to the transfer working group from the National Association of Basketball Coaches. “As someone who has experience at all levels of the NCAA structure, I do not support the proposal as a high-major Division I coach and would not if I was still employed in Division II or Division III.

“As a member of the NABC Board of Directors and NCAA Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee, I spend significant time seeking input from coaches on how to best serve our sport and its student-athletes. On this topic, I am yet to hear any coach at any level support the immediate eligibility proposal. In fact, the consensus is that the rule change, should it go into effect, would be even more detrimental to the Divisions II and III levels.”

Yet those who advocate for student-athletes support the legislation. Jason Setchen, an attorney who advocates for college and pro athletes, Tweeted: