Mark Emmert says the NCAA and Power 5 conferences are 'not far apart' on structure reform
At the SEC spring meetings last month, SEC commissioner Mike Slive said that the Power 5 conferences would have to form their own division – Division IV -- if autonomy reforms are not passed by the NCAA board of directors in August.
Despite Slive’s talks of a separate division, NCAA president Mark Emmert told USA Today following a meeting with more than 100 athletic directors Wednesday that he is confident that everything will work out and the new governance structure will be approved.
"The reality is, they're not that far apart on the various ends of that and I'm pretty confident the whole thing is going to work out and probably be successful," Emmert said at the National Association of College Directors of Athletics convention in Orlando.
The Power 5 schools plus independent Notre Dame are seeking reforms that would give schools the “voting independence” over issues like the ability to cover the full cost of attendance and scholarship guarantees, insurance matters, expense coverage, academic support and other matters “affecting the interests of student-athletes.”
A proposal for this structure has already been drafted and formally recommended. Per USA Today, the proposal calls for “a two-thirds supermajority for autonomous votes to pass, plus simple-majority approval from four of the five conferences.”
The proposal is expected to be voted on by the NCAA Board of Directors on August 7.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
