NCAA
Division I Rules on Agents & MLB Tryouts
The
Major League Baseball Draft is quickly approaching June 8-10, 2015,
and this time of year, we typically get many questions about NCAA
rules regarding agents/advisors, and tryouts with professional teams.
If
you are a current high school athlete or a current college athlete
it’s important to understand the NCAA rules so that you don’t
jeopardize your college eligibility if you decide to play in college
rather than sign with the pros.
Regarding
Agents/Advisors
A
discussion of agents/advisors can be very tricky as it pertains to
the NCAA rules that apply to the interaction between an athlete (or
the athlete’s parents or legal guardians) and an agent/advisor.
That’s primarily because an individual can be an agent, or an
advisor, or both. It all depends upon how they conduct their
business and interact with athletes/parents.
The
following scenario describes how to properly negotiate so you won’t
damage your NCAA eligibility:
-
They
can leave the room (or get off the phone) to go into the hallway to
speak with the advisor about the draft position or contract offer
from the team.
-
The
athlete can then return to the conference room or phone call to
continue the discussion with the team.
The
athlete may need to do this many times before they reach an agreement
with the MLB team. Conducting business in this manner won’t damage
their NCAA eligibility.
The
following scenario WILL ruin an athlete’s NCAA eligibility:
If
the advisor inserts themselves into the middle of the negotiation by
being the point person between the athlete and the MLB team,
and is speaking directly with the MLB team on behalf of the
athlete, they then become an agent and the athlete’s college
eligibility has been ruined.
Regarding
MLB Tryouts
An
athlete may participate in tryouts with a professional team, as long
as the team does not provide the athlete with more than “actual and
necessary expenses” to participate in the tryout.
-
If
the athlete has not yet begun full-time college enrollment, then
there is no NCAA restriction on the length of the tryout.
-
However,
if the tryout occurs after an athlete’s full-time enrollment in a
college or university, then the athlete is limited to one tryout per
team, and the tryout is limited to 48 hours (unless the athlete pays
out of pocket for any additional expenses, including return
transportation home or back to campus).
-
The
athlete can’t miss class to participate in the tryout.
It’s
also permissible for athletes to participate in practice sessions
with a professional team as long as the guidelines for a tryout are
adhered to, and the athlete doesn’t take part in any games or
scrimmages against outside competition as a member of the MLB team.
NOTE:
I’ve been told by a reliable source that it’s common practice for
an MLB team to make game tickets available to athletes when visiting
the MLB city to participate in a tryout or meet with a team. While
it may be common practice, this benefit would violate NCAA rules and
render an NCAA athlete ineligible because they would be receiving
more than “actual and necessary expenses” for participating in
the tryout.
Informed
Athlete has created a handout – “What are the NCAA Division I
Rules on Agents & MLB Tryouts?” If you’d like a copy of this
handout with more in-depth info on this topic, please click MLB Agent and Tryout Rules and
we’ll send it to you via email.
If
you have questions about NCAA eligibility rules and requirements, or
any other topic regarding participation in college athletics, contact
Rick Allen at rick@informedathlete.com
or by phone at 913-766-1235.
Rick Allen, Founder
Informed Athlete®
913-766-1235
www.informedathlete.com
rick@informedathlete.com