If time is money, then college athletes will at least be better compensated in that sense under a plan that commissioners of the Power 5 conferences announced Thursday.
The bottom line: The conferences, which make billions off so-called amateur student-athletes, want to give them more time off.
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"The purpose of the changes is to rebalance the student experience between athletics and campus life, providing students with more time to focus on other college interests, including academics, work experience, travel, and additional rest," the joint news release from the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC read, in part.
Among the highlights of the proposed plan, which could be voted into NCAA bylaws as soon as next January:
— Athletes will be given an additional 21 days during the academic year in which they are free of required athletic activities.
—These 21 days — referred to as Flex 21, because when and how the 21 days will be given is flexible depending on the sport — are in addition to the current rules related to time off. The 21 days off would be allotted as 1) at least seven consecutive days off at the conclusion of a season, and then 2) 14 more days off during the academic year.
— Beyond Flex 21, the conferences also will propose that every athlete have at least one day a week free from sports, including travel, during the season. Current rules require one day off per week, but teams may count travel days as off-days to meet the requirement.
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— Teams/schools would be required to give athletes an eight-hour block of free time overnight, between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. For example, if a team has a 6 a.m. workout scheduled, all athletic activities would be required to end by 10 p.m. the night before.
“We heard from our students that they would like more certainty in their schedules in order to engage in other activities,” the commissioners said in the release.
The conferences noted that In order to implement the proposed changes, head coaches and athletic directors will be required to work with the athletes on a plan so all are aware of anticipated time that will be committed to athletics-related activities.
