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The National Collegiate Athletic Association plans to eliminate a rule that requires some Division I college athletes to sit out from sports for one year after transferring to another institution, multiple media reports said.
The Division I Council, a legislative body for the division, voted Wednesday to remove the one-year rule, and the decision is expected to be approved by the NCAA Board of Governors on April 28, Sports Illustrated reported. The current transfer rule states that certain athletes are ineligible to play during their first year after transferring to a Division I program. The rule applies to baseball, men's or women's basketball, men’s ice hockey, and football in the Football Bowl Subdivision, which includes the top football programs in the country.
Athletes and their advocates have criticized the rule for several years, arguing it limits athletes’ freedom to switch institutions. The NCAA previously defended the rule as a way to preserve its amateurism model for college sports, arguing it prevents athletes from being “traded” from one college team to another like professional athletes.
