August 28th: Honorary Guests

Ocean State University, James River Institute and Country Roads College all have a long standing partnerships with children’s hospitals in their campus communities.  It has become a tradition for each team to visit the hospital prior to their first home competition of the academic year.  During their visit to the hospital, many student-athletes bonded with kids who has recently been given only a few months to live.

Some of the teams would like to invite these young kids to a home game and make them honorary guests.

Is it permissible for a team to invite these kids as honorary guests and introduce them before the game if they are of prospect age?

Yes with conditions.

Division I NCAA Official Interpretation- 11/1/10- Application of NCAA Bylaw 13 to a Prospective Student-Athlete with no Reasonable Expectation of Participation in Intercollegiate Athletics (I)- states that the Legislative Council determined that the restrictions of Bylaw 13 do not apply to a prospective student-athlete who has no reasonable expectation of participating in intercollegiate athletics as a result of a disability or terminal illness, provided he or she is not a relative of a prospective student-athlete who is being recruited by the institution.

Division II NCAA Official Interpretation- 4/12/11- Application of NCAA Bylaw 13 to a Prospective Student-Athlete with no Reasonable Expectation of Participation in Intercollegiate Athletics (II)– states that the restrictions of NCAA Division II Bylaw 13 do not apply to a prospective student-athlete who has no reasonable expectation of participating in intercollegiate athletics as a result of a disability or terminal illness, provided he or she is not a relative of a prospective student-athlete who is being recruited by the institution.

Division III NCAA Official Interpretation- 4/12/11- Application of NCAA Bylaw 13 to a Prospective Student-Athlete with no Reasonable Expectation of Participation in Intercollegiate Athletics (III)- states that the restrictions of Bylaw 13 do not apply to a prospective student-athlete who has no reasonable expectation of participating in intercollegiate athletics as a result of a disability or terminal illness.