Reports: NCAA to discuss 5-year eligibility model

An NCAA panel is scheduled to discuss potential changes to eligibility rules that would incorporate age into the process, two people with knowledge of the situation said Wednesday.

The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the NCAA hasn’t publicly discussed the proposal. They said the matter was scheduled to be reviewed and discussed by the Division I cabinet next week, but not voted on for implementation.

The proposal was also reported by multiple outlets. An NCAA spokesman did not immediately return a message left by AP.

The proposal, which mirrors language written into the executive order issued by President Donald Trump last week, would give athletes five years of eligibility with the clock starting at the earliest of two dates: either when they turn 19 or graduate high school. There would be limited exceptions but they would not involve injuries, which has been a common reason for players to ask for extra eligibility.

Still unknown is whether the rule would shield the NCAA from lawsuits over eligibility. Dozens of players have sued for extra years, claiming injuries and other circumstances made them candidates for extra eligibility. The NCAA is seeking a limited antitrust exemption from Congress to prevent these lawsuits.

Speaking at the Final Four over the weekend, NCAA President Charlie Baker said Trump wanted to figure out a way to “get something on the books that works and represents what most people are looking for at this point, which is a much simpler eligibility process, which we’ve been talking to our committees about.”