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sports Diamars 17 mei 2022

States hands off when it comes to NCAA, athlete compensation

(AP) — The NCAA wait- or punish a school, organiza- pared with rival schools in
ed nearly a year to issue tion or agent caught breaking other states that didn’t have
a warning that there are the rules. similar restrictions.
still rules to follow now
that college athletes can “A lot of people are referenc- Arkansas gives some legal
earn money off their fame, ing the NCAA not taking power to the athletes in that
sparking speculation that action, but the same can be state. They can sue their
a crackdown could be said about states,” said Dar- agent or another third party
coming for schools and ren Heitner, an attorney who that offers or sets up a deal
boosters that break them. helped craft the Florida law. later deemed improper and
they are declared ineligible to
But the NCAA isn’t the The unenforced state bans on play.
only enforcement organiza- pay-for-play and recruiting
tion that stayed quiet as mil- deals calmed lawmakers who Half the states don’t have
lions of dollars started flying worried that college sports athlete compensation laws.
around college athletes. they love were changing, said Schools there have been left
Heitner, an advocate for ath- to navigate the general pa-
Nearly half the states, 24 in letes’ rights to earn money. rameters the NCAA provid- contracts for NCAA enforce- ner said. “Otherwise, what
all, have laws regarding ath- But there has been no indi- ed in June 2021 on the eve ment to look at them all. was the point? ... If it doesn’t,
lete compensation, all passed cation a state attorney general of the NIL era and to wait to it’s powerless and obsolete. It
since 2019. Several specifical- or local prosecutor will go af- see what would be enforced. “The enforcement is going still has that problem that it
ly ban the sort of pay-for-play ter a big university, coach and Pay-for-play and “improper to fall on the NCAA, (but) knows it is going to be sued.”
and recruiting enticement wealthy donors if the team is inducements” were still off there’s no way they’ll try to
deals the NCAA still outlaws bringing in top players and the table, the NCAA said look at thousands of deals,” NCAA officials did not im-
and critics of the new system winning. then, but there were few said Mit Winter, a sports law mediately respond to re-
worry about. details and NIL deals were attorney in Kansas City, Mis- quests for comment.
Alabama was one state that struck by the hundreds in the souri.
Yet those states have shown did have specific punishment weeks that followed. At Texas, the nonprofit
no appetite to question or in its law: Anyone providing The NCAA will more likely Horns With Heart raised
investigate the schools, the compensation to an athlete The NCAA finally stepped look at some of the high- eyebrows when it announced
contracts or the third-party that caused them to lose eli- back into its enforcement ly publicized deals set up just before the December
groups orchestrating them. gibility faced a potential Class role with new guidance that through prominent business football national signing day
Even if they did, there is little C felony, which carried up to sought to clarify the types owners and third-party col- that it would offer all Long-
legal framework for how they 10 years in prison. of contracts and booster in- lectives that have popped up horns scholarship offensive
would do it. volvement that should be around dozens of schools to linemen $50,000 NIL deals
But Alabama lawmakers re- considered improper. pool millions of dollars and to support charities. A few
Texas and Florida, two states pealed the state’s entire col- connect athletes with busi- days later, Texas signed one
with major college football lege athlete compensation Few expect a massive crack- ness deals. of the top recruiting classes
and basketball programs, ban law earlier this year. The law’s down and the Division I in the country with a bumper
pay-for-play contracts and original author called for the Board of Governors noted “It’s positioned itself where crop of blue-chip offensive
using deals to lure recruits to repeal because he worried it that its focus was on the fu- it has no choice but to try linemen.
campus. But neither state set left Alabama schools at a re- ture. There’s simply too to make an example out of a
up mechanisms to investigate cruiting disadvantage com- many athletes and too many booster or a collective,” Heit-

Rugby player Elton Jantjies arrested after airplane incident

(AP) — South Africa rugby play- The World Cup winner was arrested
er Elton Jantjies was charged Sunday when his flight landed at OR
Monday with malicious dam- Tambo International Airport in Jo-
age to property and contraven- hannesburg. He was released on bail
ing aviation laws after allegedly the same day and appeared in court
breaking a TV screen and swear- on Monday. His case was postponed
ing at fellow passengers and crew until next month.
members on a flight home from
a vacation in Turkey, prosecutors The 31-year-old Jantjies was acting
said. in an unruly manner on the flight,
prosecution spokeswoman Phindi

Mjonondwane said. He was arrested
when the plane landed after crew His agent, James Adams, said in a
members complained about his be- statement Sunday that a light was
havior. broken on the aircraft but the in-
cident on the Emirates flight from
During the flight, Jantjies was or- Dubai to Johannesburg had been un-
dered back to his seat in the business necessarily “heightened.”
class area after breaking a glass that
cut his hand, Mjonondwane said. He “Our client, however, remains com-
is then said to have damaged the TV pliant with the investigation process,”
and a light. Adams said.

Jantjies was a member of the Spring- Jantjies had been on a weeklong va-
boks’ victorious Rugby World Cup cation with his family. He was flying
squad in Japan in 2019, when he was home alone while they remained in
backup flyhalf to Handré Pollard. Turkey, Adams said.