Did You Know...?
November 15, 2019 | Compliance
Did You Know...?
Once a prospect has signed a NLI, that signee cannot be contacted by any other institution. Effective January 1, 2019, the first violation of the Recruiting Ban will result in a letter of reprimand to the coach and sport program and a fine of $500. The second violation will result in another letter of reprimand and a $1,000 fine. For more information, please see the NLI Administrative Guidelines.
NLI RECRUITING BAN:
Cease communication: Once a prospective student-athlete signs an NLI, all NLI member institutions and conferences must cease contact with the NLI signee and his or her family members. Any contact more than an exchange of a greeting would result in an NLI Recruiting Ban Violation regardless of the conversation. The conversation does not have to result in a recruiting discussion for a violation to occur. It is understandable that a coach from another institution, due to the relationship established during the recruiting process, may want to call or send a note to congratulate the prospective student-athlete for signing his or her NLI. This exchange is permissible but must be timely following the date of signing and must not be more than the congratulatory dialogue.
Initiated by NLI signee: If communication is initiated by the NLI signee, the coach is obligated to ask if the student has signed an NLI and proceed to inquire with the compliance staff to see if an NLI has been signed. The coach should cease communication until the student's NLI status is determined by the compliance staff.
Time Period: The NLI Recruiting Ban remains in effect until the prospective student-athlete enrolls at the signing institution or if the prospective student-athlete does not enroll at the signing institution, the recruiting ban will be lifted after the signing institution's next academic year has elapsed. For example,
the prospective student-athlete signs during the 2019-20 academic year and does not enroll at the signing institution for the 2020-21 academic year, the recruiting ban would be lifted at the end of the institution's 2020-21 academic year. Thus, the prospective student-athlete is under the NLI recruiting ban during the academic year he or she should have been attending the signing institution.
NLI Recruiting Ban Violation Penalty: Institutions are obligated to self-report NLI recruiting ban violations through the NLI Portal.
The NLI recruiting ban penalty is as follows:
First violation for a sport program.
• Letter of reprimand to the coach and sport program; and
• The NLI member institution must pay a fine in the amount of $500 (Division I), $250 (Division II).
Second violation (within a four-year time period) for a sport program.
• Letter of reprimand to the coach and sport program; and
• The NLI member institution must pay a fine in the amount of $1,000 (Division I), $500 (Division II).
