New red flags for medical red-shirting

The Island Now

By Karis Fuller

When it comes to collegiate sports, time is precious. Each student athlete is given four years of eligibility. Once used, it is all over.

What if one or more of those years is taken away? Sadly, that’s the harsh reality many college athletes face when they receive an incapacitating injury.

But, the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II (NCAA D2) has now revisited its medical redshirting rules, thanks to DII student-athlete representatives across the country.

In late 2016, each Division II school voted, based on the views of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, to change the criteria for medical redshirting.

Debbie DeJong, LIU Post’s new athletic director, explained the previous rule. “If you competed in less than 20 percent of your maximum contest, you can put a waiver in through your conference office for redshirt,” she said. “That 20 percent is of your entire season.”

If you stepped foot on the field, court or pitch in over three out of 12 games, you were no longer eligible for a medical waiver.

This is hard for many, as a whole year of eligibility can be wasted on a three game season. With increases in concussions, ACL tears and various other incapacitating injuries, the rule change was needed, according to many student-athletes.

Due to the voices of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the ears of the NCAA, action has been taken. As of August 1, 2017, redshirt rules have changed for Division II schools.

Now, “a student athlete may participate and remain eligible for hardship waiver to three contests or dates of competition or 30 percent of the maximum number of permissible contests.”

And it must be in the first half of the season. Not only did the SAAC representatives want to accommodate the growing number of injuries in DII sports, but they also felt that the bylaw should match that of Divisions I and III.

Implemented at the beginning of this school year, the new redshirting rule does just that. “Now the legislation for medical redshirt hardship years are equal through all divisions that you play,” LIU Post’s DeJong said.

The new rule is not only a successful change as it protects the student-athletes competing, but it is also a great tribute to the SAAC representatives on a national scale who made this happen.

“Almost no bylaw change is made without the membership voting on it. Which means every DII institution gets one vote,” DeJong said. This change was made successful by the student-athletes, for student-athletes, without any administrative or governing body’s influence.

DeJong stressed the importance of this change, as all will reap the benefits. “All sports will see the impact, every single student athlete that participates in any division will see the impact,” she said. “This will help all student athletes be able to participate and feel like they get the opportunity to participate and represent their university to the max.”

This article was originally published in the Pioneer, the award-winning student newspaper of LIU Post, www.liupostpioneer.com, and is republished here by Blank Slate Media with the permission of the Pioneer.

 

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