KANSAS CITY, Mo. – NABC President Jamie Dixon has released the following statement in response to the NCAA Division I Council’s decision to allow on-campus voluntary athletic activities to resume on June 1.
“The health, safety and wellbeing of students is the unquestioned top priority for all higher education institutions, our intercollegiate athletics programs and each of us as coaches. The NABC supports the NCAA’s decision to permit on-campus voluntary athletics activities to resume on June 1 in accordance with all local, state and federal regulations and safeguards.
“For institutions that have determined – based on collaboration between senior leadership and local health and government officials – that a return to campus is appropriate, we believe student-athletes should be allowed to resume the sport they love. And more important than basketball, the physical and emotional support resources available to student-athletes on campus are needed now more than ever. Providing care and the trusted presence of coaches for our student-athletes upon their return was central to the NABC’s proposal to extend the recruiting dead period through July 31.
“We recognize that not all programs will be in a position to return to campus on the same timeline, thus creating legitimate competitive inequality concerns. However, we believe that leaving these decisions to each institution is necessary in order to provide as many opportunities as possible for student-athletes to safely resume activities and regain access to invaluable resources.”
