NCAA Rules Question

Submitted by Ziff72 on

Have the rules changed on coaches monitoring workouts or is this a reporter stretching the truth to fit a narrative?

Tuesday's winter workout at Michigan State was an easy day for the coaching staff. Most of the Spartan assistants quietly stalked the outer edge of conditioning drills or watched with crossed arms as their players took over control. 

Two-thirds of the way through their version of the dreaded annual college football tradition of winter conditioning, Mark Dantonio and the rest of the Michigan State coaches like to hand the reins to the team's new leaders. Players from each position group direct teammates through the circuit of sprints, jumps and other creative, torturous tests of fitness and toughness. Afterward, the group leaders are responsible for grading each individual on the day's work. Coaches hope this format creates accountability on a roster that has to replace several influential veterans this spring. 

Lucky Socks

March 5th, 2015 at 1:51 PM ^

I'm not completely sure, but I think this is legal. I think you can be in the same area - you just can't talk to them. I remember stories of coaches literally walking by players in the hallway and not being able to say hello.



Or am I imagining that? Either way, it'd be difficult to ask coaches to vacate shared workspace completely during player workouts so I think it's pretty common to have them lurking. So in my opinion, nothing wrong by the MSU coaches as long as they aren't on the field coaching them.

Space Coyote

March 5th, 2015 at 2:13 PM ^

There used to be rules where you couldn't actively be in the same area, so coaches would "walk through" to "check on something else" or just happen to have a window over-looking the workouts, and stuff like that. You couldn't talk to players, but you could pass by.

But the rules have been relaxed from what I recall because people realized they were stupid and being stretched anyway. I'm not exactly sure what the new rule is, but I'm pretty sure the coaches are now allowed to be there at least for a certain amount of time, but they are not allowed to conduct the drills or what have you. "They are there in a supervisor role".

bronxblue

March 5th, 2015 at 2:18 PM ^

My understanding is that the coaches can be in the area but until recently couldn't really get any information about the "voluntary" workouts they were doing.  Now there are a few more options for interaction, based on this article.

This is what drove my crazy about the Stretchgate situation - I get not wanting coaches to run college kids into the ground, but when you have all of these arcane rules that allow certain types of contact but not others, at certain times but not others, it seems weird that minutes of time spent doing basic maintenance stuff would ever be treated so negatively.  The goal should be the health and care of the athletes, yet it feels like its far more paper pushing and kow-towing to rules.

LSAClassOf2000

March 5th, 2015 at 2:26 PM ^

Confirmed for the voluntary stuff. Straight from the handbook, the first subparagraph in the section about voluntary activity:

The student-athlete must not be required to report back to a coach or other athletics department staff member (e.g., strength coach, trainer, manager) any information related to the activity. In addition, no athletics department staff member who observes the activity (e.g., strength coach, trainer, manager) may report back to the student-athlete’s coach any information related to the activity;

The activity must also be requested by the student-athlete to qualify as "voluntary" too. Attendance cannot be officially recorded for these either. 

BlueinOK

March 5th, 2015 at 3:58 PM ^

I know here we don't watch any of the offseason stuff. There's a lot of open workouts and the coaches stay away from all that stuff.