Buckeye Insider – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/25/2002 12:00:00 AM | General
Nov. 25, 2002
All compensation received by Ohio State’s student-athletes must be consistent with the limitations on financial aid set forth in the NCAA Rules. Freshmen and first-year transfer student-athletes are not permitted to work. However, the student-athlete may receive earnings from legitimate employment, on or off-campus, during the academic year, provided:
(a) The student-athlete has spent one academic year on campus at Ohio State; and
(b) The student-athlete is academically eligible to compete for this University
Total employment earnings combined with other financial aid included in the student-athlete’s individual financial aid limit may equal the value of a full grant plus $2,000. The most important rule to remember is that student-athletes may only be compensated for work actually performed and at a rate commensurate with the going rate in that locality for similar services. Below is a series of questions related to the permissible and impermissible employment of student-athletes.
Q: What obligations are placed upon the employer of the student-athlete?
A: Prior to the commencement of the employment, the student-athlete is required to register his or her job in our Athletic Compliance Office. Also, the employer must sign a written statement to be kept on file in the Compliance Office. The statement must have the following specifications:
(a) The student-athlete’s earnings may not include any rewards for the value or utility that the student-athlete may have for the employer because of the publicity, reputation, or fame the student-athlete has earned because of his or her athletic ability,
(b) The student-athletes earnings are limited to work actually performed; and
(c) The student-athlete is to be paid the same rate all other employees working in that same locality are paid.
Q: Are student-athletes permitted to work over vacation and holiday periods?
A: Yes, all student-athletes are permitted to work over vacation and holiday periods. Any employment earnings received during the vacation and holiday periods are excluded from the earnings limitations placed on student-athletes during the school year.
Q: May a student-athlete be employed during the summer and are there any restrictions on the amount of compensation he or she may receive?
A: Yes, a student-athlete may receive legitimate summer employment earnings without any restrictions on the amount of compensation received, provided the payment is for work actually performed and is consistent with the going rate. The student-athlete must still register the summer job in the Athletic Compliance Department.
Q: May a student-athlete earn compensation for giving lessons, teaching, or coaching on a fee-for-lesson basis?
A: Yes, under the NCAA rules, a student-athlete may receive compensation for teaching or coaching sport skills or techniques in his or her sport on a fee-for-lesson basis. However, Ohio State facilities may not be used for fee-for-lesson instruction and “playing” lessons are not permitted. The lesson recipient (or the recipient’s family), as opposed to another individual or entities must pay the lesson fee to the student-athlete. To document this employment, the student-athlete must inform and register it as a job with the Athletic Compliance Office. The Compliance Office will record all lessons provided by the student-athlete during the academic year.
Q: Are student-athletes permitted to work at camps or clinics, which are owned or operated by The Ohio State University or its coaches?
A: Yes, except in the sport of football, a student-athlete may be employed by Ohio State, by another institution, or by a private organization to work in a camp or clinic. In football, an Ohio State University football student-athlete is permitted to work at another institution’s football camp as long as he is the only football student-athlete from a Division I school employed at the camp.
Please remember that the above information is merely a broad overview of student-athlete employment and is not an extensive discussion. For questions or to receive more information, please contact Heather Lyke, Associate Athletics Director for Compliance at (614) 292-2681 or visit the NCAA website at www.NCAA.org.
