UAB Official Athletic Site

Compliance

Policy on Agent/Athlete Relations
NCAA
National Letter of Intent
NCAA Clearinghouse
NCAA Recruiting Calendars

UAB, a member of Conference USA and the NCAA, is responsible for insuring that its various constituencies (University staff and faculty, alumni and friends) abide by NCAA rules and regulations.

This brochure is a quick reference guide to NCAA rules and regulations. This guide will give our alumni and friends a basic understanding of the rules and regulations that they should know as people who care about intercollegiate athletics. The brochure will provide answers to some of the common situations they may encounter. Since it cannot address every applicable situation, please contact the athletics department if you have any questions before having contact with a prospective or enrolled student-athlete.

AM I A "REPRESENTATIVE OF ATHLETIC INTERESTS" OR "BOOSTER"?

Yes, if you

have ever participated in or are currently a member of any of the various athletic department booster groups.
have ever made a donation to the UAB men's or women's athletic program.
have ever helped to arrange or have provided summer employment for enrolled student-athletes.
have ever contacted a high school student, grades 9-12, for the purpose of encouraging this student to participate in the UAB athletic program.
have ever been involved in promoting UAB's athletic program in any way.

Once an individual has been identified as a booster, he/she retains this identity forever.

WHO IS A PROSPECTIVE STUDENT-ATHLETE?

A prospective student-athlete ("prospect") is a student who has started classes for the ninth grade. It is possible under certain circumstances for a younger athlete to be a prospect, so it is recommended that you treat ALL athletes as prospects. A prospect does not lose his/her prospective student-athlete status until the start of classes at UAB or the beginning of official team practice immediately prior to the start of classes.

IMPORTANT RULES YOU SHOULD KNOW

Rule #1
Only coaches and athletic department staff members can be involved in the recruiting process. Alumni, friends and other "representatives of athletic interests" who are not employed by the University are prohibited from contacting a prospective student- athlete (or members of the prospect's family or coach) by letter, telephone or in-person (on- of off-campus) for the purpose of soliciting participation in the UAB athletic program. If you know a coach is entertaining one or more prospects at an event on the UAB campus, please do not approach the coach while the prospects are present.

Rule #2
UAB athletic representatives may not provide an "extra benefit" to a prospect OR to an enrolled student-athlete. Specific applications as they apply to the NCAA extra benefit rule to prospects and enrolled student-athletes, their relatives or friends state that you:

May not give them cash or loans in any amount.
May not sign or co-sign a note with an outside agency to arrange a loan.
May not employ relatives or friends of a prospect as an inducement for the enrollment of the prospect at UAB.
May not give them gifts of any kind (e.g., birthday, Christmas) or free services (e.g., clothing, airline tickets, meals in restaurants, car repair, hair cuts).
May not provide special discounts for goods or services.
May not provide use of an automobile.
May not provide them hospitality in your home other than for special occasions (e.g., Thanksgiving, birthday).
May not invite them to your summer home to go sailing, fishing, etc.
May not provide them transportation within or outside of the campus area (e.g., from the airport to campus, from the campus to your home, to summer job).
May not entertain or contact a prospect or prospect's family on or off-campus.
May not provide rent-free or reduced-rent housing.
May not provide a benefit connected with on- or off-campus housing (e.g., specialized recreational facilities, individual television sets or stereo equipment).
May not provide tickets to an athletic, institutional or community event.
May not provide guarantee of a bond.
May not provide promise of financial aid for post-graduate education.
May not provide promise to a prospect of employment after college education.

You may assist the coaching staff in the recruiting process by notifying them of any student you think would be a strong addition to the University and to the athletic program. The coach can then make the appropriate contact with the prospect.

As an athletic representative, you are not precluded from continuing friendships with families who have prospective or enrolled student-athletes (e.g. backyard barbeques, picnics). You simply cannot encourage a prospect's participation in the UAB athletic program or provide extra benefits to the student-athlete that you were not providing before he or she became a prospect or enrolled student-athlete.

Rule #3
You may not invite selected junior high school, senior high school or junior college student-athletes to alumni events. NCAA rules prohibit contact between alumni and friends at both on-campus and off-campus sites.

Rule #4
You may not provide employment to a prospective or currently enrolled student-athlete without checking first with the UAB Athletic Department. The athletic department is permitted to arrange employment for prospective student-athletes in the summer prior to their enrollment as freshmen. NCAA rules permit a student-athlete to earn legitimate on- and off-campus income during semester or term time, provided such income in combination with other financial aid included in the student-athlete's individual limit does not exceed the student's cost of attendance at the institution, provided:

The student-athlete has spent one academic year in residence at UAB
The student-athlete is eligible academically to compete for UAB

Further, NCAA rules require a student-athlete prior to commencement for employment to sign an affidavit to be kept on file in the athletics department, which specifies:

The student-athlete has not been hired based on his or her athletic ability or the value that the student-athlete may have for the employer because of the athletic reputation or fame the student-athlete has achieved;
The student-athlete is to be compensated only for work actually performed; and
The student-athlete is to be compensated at a rate commensurate with the going rate in that locality for similar services.

Rule #5
You may not use the name or picture of an enrolled student-athlete to directly advertise, recommend, or promote the sale or use of a commercial product of any kind. Such use will render the student-athlete ineligible.

Rule #6
Do not do anything for prospective or enrolled student-athletes without specific authorization from the UAB Athletic Department.

If you have knowledge of any improprieties, intentional or unintentional, please let the Athletic Department know immediately so that we can take corrective action.

UAB is proud to have the loyal support of and the continued interest in its athletic programs by our alumni and friends. As we strive for excellence, we must always seek the highest standard of ethical conduct. With your assistance and cooperation, we believe we can accomplish both goals.

WHOM DO I CONTACT?
Please direct any questions about contact with a prospective or enrolled student-athlete to: