Sports
Five Conferences, Including the MAC, Ask NCAA for Relief Due to Pandemic
By: Associated Press
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CLEVELAND, Ohio (AP) — Five FBS conference commissioners have asked the NCAA to relax some requirements to compete in Division I for the next four years, including the minimum number of sports a school must sponsor.
The letter from the commissioners of the Mid-American Conference, American Athletic Conference, Mountain West, Sun Belt and Conference USA also asked for temporary relief from NCAA requirements regarding financial aid, average football attendance and scheduling.
MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher told the AP the request was to “build flexibility into the decision-making process” schools will be facing.
The request was made on behalf of all Division I schools.
The letter to NCAA President Mark Emmert, obtained by The Associated Press, says the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the direst financial crisis for higher education since at least the Great Depression.