STARKVILLE — Spring sport athletes at Mississippi State and beyond can breathe a sigh of relief.
The NCAA announced Monday night that all spring athletes will be offered an extra year of eligibility and an extension of their eligibility period after their seasons were canceled due to the worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 following a vote by the Division I Council.
“The Council’s decision gives individual schools the flexibility to make decisions at a campus level,” said Council chair and University of Pennsylvania Athletic Director M. Grace Calhoun said in a news release. “The Board of Governors encouraged conferences and schools to take action in the best interest of student-athletes and their communities, and now schools have the opportunity to do that.”
Of note, schools will not be required to match the aid returning seniors were offered during the 2020 season in an attempt to combat the financial uncertainty universities are facing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. This stipulation and flexibility only applies to athletes whose eligibility would have been exhausted during the 2019-20 season.
Winter sport athletes were not included in the decision as the NCAA decided to focus on athletes who had most or all of their regular seasons canceled.
According to the release, the roster limit for Division I baseball teams have also been increased to include athletes impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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