NCAA president is against Michigan's spring break practices
Add NCAA president Mark Emmert to the list of folks against Michigan’s spring break trip to Florida.
Commissioners from the SEC and ACC have already spoken out against Jim Harbaugh’s team holding a portion of its spring practices at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, during the school’s spring break, and now Emmert offered a similar sentiment. As was the case with Greg Sankey of the SEC and John Swofford of the ACC, the issue of free time for student-athletes is Emmert’s main point of contention.
“There is a big debate going on among administrators right now about how to provide more time off for student-athletes so the use of spring break for practices caused a lot of people to be concerned about it, and that’s an appropriate concern,” Emmert said per The State. “We are trying to find ways to dial back the demands on student-athletes, not ramp them up.”
Michigan’s plan to hold its first four practices in Florida during spring break does not break NCAA rules, but that could change in the future. Emmert, who met with South Carolina’s Board of Trustees on Friday, said the issue would be addressed when the NCAA Football Oversight Committee meets, but it is doubtful a resolution could be reached before the Wolverines’ trip next week.
“There is nothing he is doing that is against the rules,” Emmert said. “If the membership wants to change the rules, they need to do so.”
The issue will be reviewed by the NCAA’s Football Oversight Committee, Emmert said, but it’s unlikely a rules change would occur before the NCAA’s January meeting. USC board member Chuck Allen addressed Emmert during Friday’s meeting and urged that a rule be added quickly to stop the practice. Allen was a football player at South Carolina from 1977-1980.
“They need to get away. They need to rejuvenate,” Allen said of today’s football players. “We used to call it being normal.”
“I think the opinion you are expressing is right on the mark,” Emmert told Allen. “I haven’t talked to one student-athlete yet that thinks it’s a good idea.”
The time demands of collegiate athletics have been a focus of NCAA leadership in recent months and will again be discussed in April. Emmert said the 20-hour rule, which forbids student-athletes from spending for than 20 hours per week on his or her sport, could potentially be “modified.”
When speaking to reporters later on Friday, Harbaugh scoffed at the criticism – from Sankey especially.
"I guess (Sankey's) stating a case, but it doesn't hold water to me," Harbaugh said per MLive.com. "It's not an addition of time, it's the same amount of time. It's 20 hours. We'll be on the same rules and guidelines that every other team will be under during spring practice. I think it's comical that he's taking exception to it."
The first of Michigan’s four practices at IMG – one of the top high school programs in the nation – takes place on Feb. 29. Harbaugh said the team will also spend time at the beach and playing mini golf during the trip before returning to Ann Arbor to complete its spring schedule.
Like all programs, the Wolverines will have 15 practices leading up to their spring game (which is counted as a practice). Interestingly, UM announced Friday that its spring game, which will be played on April 1 at Michigan Stadium, will be an evening kickoff for the first time in program history. The April 1 date for the game also provides additional time for the team to finish out the academic year, Harbaugh said.
The game’s exact start time “will be announced at a later date,” the program said in a release.
For more Michigan news, visit TheWolverine.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!