A federation of college sports leaders Wednesday expressed their view of the fundamentals of their enterprise, emphasizing the value of athletic scholarships, the importance of clarity in NCAA enforcement, and the role of athletics directors in reform.
The groups behind the statement – the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and the 1A Athletic Directors' Association, and NACDA's Affiliate Associations, the Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA) and the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association (DI-AAA ADA) – have tapped Morgan Burke and Mike Alden, the athletics directors at Purdue and Missouri, respectively, as their public representatives.
The athletics directors agreed on the following tenets as they participate in the coming wave of NCAA reform:
— Recognizing the diversity of priorities and resources in addition to "common interests" among 351 Division I members
— Rejecting "pay for play" as a means of compensating collegiate athletes beyond the value of their scholarships
— Understanding the concept of institutional control and emphasizing integrity in regard to NCAA and conference rules enforcement