NCAA president Charlie Baker releases 'Path Forward' letter

NCAA president Charlie Baker recently released the findings of the organization’s business model. On Monday, he released a letter to member institutions titled the “Path Forward.”

Baker’s statement Monday outlined the latest updates on the gender equity process, updated NIL guidelines and health insurance fund creation. He also shared the findings from the business report, which suggested the NCAA should find ways to create a national platform for online streaming of events and tackle the growing officiating crisis by building a pipeline of talent.

Baker continues to prioritize NIL. Since taking over as NCAA president in March, he has made multiple trips to Washington, D.C., to lobby legislators for a federal mandate. A registry of NIL deals, a certification process for agents and a uniform NIL standard have always been on his wishlist for lawmakers to enact. The recent round of conference realignment has complicated that, however, as elected officials may have a hard time seeing the need to control athlete compensation.

The NCAA Division I Board of Directors instructed the Division I Council earlier this month to develop new NIL proposals. They include formulating a registration process for NIL service providers – such as agents and collectives – creating a standardized contract or standard contract terms and establishing disclosure requirements for student-athletes to provide transparency about NIL activities. After the working group drafts the policy, it will hand it off to the Division I Council in October. Then after it is introduced to the Council in October, it will be circulated to membership, voted on by the Council in January and voted on by the Board in January.

“I believe they will ensure that student-athletes have the ability to exercise their earning potential in the NIL marketplace and have protections from exploitation by potential bad actors,” Baker wrote of the proposals. “They also will help ensure that student-athletes across the country have access to the same fundamental opportunities while competing according to the same fundamental rules.”

Charlie Baker highlights post-eligibility injury insurance

The NCAA will begin offering member institutions post-eligibility injury insurance coverage for athletes beginning Aug. 1, 2024. Athletes will receive coverage for two years after their college athletics experience expires. The coverage will be for injuries that occur while playing for a member school.

The post-eligibility injury insurance program will be available for all three Divisions.

“I’m proud to share that we developed a fund that will help all schools, across all three divisions, access the resources they need to meet their commitments to this aspect of the holistic model,” Baker said.

As the NCAA senior vice president of inclusion, education and community engagement, Felicia Martin is heading up efforts to ensure women’s sports receive equitable support. A veteran NCAA administrator, she was formerly the vice president of the eligibility center.

There are of course other areas of concern moving forward. Baker said there are 17 active investigations into sports betting violations, according to a letter the Associated Press obtained last month. That comes against the backdrop of the Alabama baseball scandal, followed by a widespread investigation into the betting behavior of dozens of athletes from Iowa and Iowa State.

“While there are limitations on what we alone can accomplish – which is why we continue to simultaneously advocate for Congress to take action to stabilize the future of college sports – we are committed to exhausting every avenue for reform within our control,” Baker said to close out the letter.