Preparing for budget crunch, conferences ask NCAA for relief

Five FBS conference commissioners have asked the NCAA to relax some requirements to compete in Division I for four years, including the minimum number of sports a school must sponsor.

The letter from the commissioners of the American Athletic Conference, Mountain West, Mid-American Conference, Sun Belt and Conference USA to NCAA President Mark Emmert also asked for temporary relief from requirements regarding financial aid, average football attendance and scheduling. The request was made on behalf of all Division I schools.

The email dated April 10 was first reported by Yahoo! Sports and obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.

“As you are aware, the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant economic turmoil has resulted in the direst financial crisis for higher education since at least the Great Depression,” the commissioners wrote.

MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher told the AP the request was to “build flexibility into the decision-making process” schools will be facing.

The letter came to light the same day as the University of Cincinnati in the AAC announced it was dropping its men’s soccer program to cut costs. Earlier this month, Old Dominion of C-USA cut its wrestling program.

NCAA rules require Division I schools to sponsor at least 16 varsity sports.

“We have been working closely with our membership for the past few weeks developing potential options to address the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson said in a statement. “Other conferences are engaged in the same process and this collaborative request from the Group of Five is intended as the sort of creative alternative these unprecedented times demand.”