A year after expanding the waiver guidelines to include “documented mitigating circumstances outside of the student-athlete’s control” that “directly impacts the health, safety or well-being of the student-athlete,” the NCAA reportedly added new language expected to reduce the number of waivers granted to college football and basketball players, according to a report from USA TODAY Sports.
Following an increase in waiver applications and complaints of inconsistent applications of the 2018 guidelines, the NCAA is now providing more details about the required documentation and more specific guidelines for which applications will qualify.
Much of the language from the 2018 update remains, with two key additions — the new guidelines require “documented extraordinary, extenuating, and mitigating circumstances.