On Saturday, I reported that
Yale's season might be in jeopardy because of a player who might be ineligible.
To recap, Chris Cahill was kicked out of Yale for violating academic policies, he took a year off and played 18 games for a men's team in France's Tier 2 league where players are financially compensated, was reinstated this year at Yale and subsequently rejoined the hockey team and played in all of their games until Friday.
We know that an anonymous letter was sent to the ECAC coaches and athletic directors informing them of the situation and urging them to take action and investigate with the NCAA.
According to sources, some of those league schools petitioned the ECAC to keep Cahill out of the lineup until the matter was resolved and he was not in the lineup this past Friday against Dartmouth. Apparently, within the next 24 hours the matter was resolved and he was cleared to play. I haven't been able to confirm these particulars since ECAC Commissioner Steve Hagwell declined comment and the NCAA could not share any information with me about this issue and noted that it is NCAA policy not to comment on current, pending or potential investigations (which leads me to believe this case is not quite closed with them), but we do know that Cahill played on Saturday and even scored a goal in their 4-2 win against Harvard.
We know that the NCAA does prohibit players who have played in a professional league from being NCAA eligible, but we also know the NCAA is able to make exceptions and that there is an appeals process where a player might just be penalized and not have their amateur status revoked entirely.
I've spoken with a representative of Yale and they maintain that Chris Cahill is eligible to play and are set to release a statement later this afternoon regarding this issue.
I've also spoken with a handful of compliance directors at various NCAA institutions and without knowing more of the specifics of this particular case, none of them were able to find an exception that would allow Cahill to be eligible. I asked them if there were different rules between someone who was a recruit and someone who was already enrolled as a full-time student and they weren't aware of any.
Now...I would like nothing more than for Chris Cahill to be eligible and for Yale to continue on with their successful season and make a run at a national title, but if he is indeed eligible after playing in a professional league and didn't have to sit out any games before regaining that eligibility, there are some serious questions to be answered by the NCAA.
There have been a handful of situations with student-athletes playing in junior leagues in Europe prior to enrolling in an NCAA institution and having to sit out some games - usually the equivalent or a least a portion of the number of games they played with or against professional players - and in fact there is one such player at Colgate who had to sit out 10 games this season because he played in a junior league in Sweden last year. An example of this could be: There was a player on the men's team for that particular club who was being compensated for his athletic participation who was sent down to the junior team for a game or two on a rehab assignment.
1) Why have those student-athletes had to sit out, while this one who played in a professional league doesn't?
And the even bigger question regarding hockey specifically....
2) Does this ruling set a precedent and now open the door for CHL players to play in the NCAA after their junior career is over?
There is a whole lot of grey and fuzzy surrounding this situation and hopefully things will be more clear later this afternoon.
I'll check back in after Yale releases their statement.
**********
I've become acquainted with the
NCAA D-I Manual and you can too by clicking that link. The bylaws that define eligibility exceptions start on page 65 and most of them specifically exclude ice hockey.
Here are some bylaws of note:
12.02.4 Professional Athletics Team. A professional team is any organized team that:
(a) Provides any of its players more than actual and necessary expenses for participation on the team, except as
otherwise permitted by NCAA legislation. Actual and necessary expenses are limited to the following, pro-
vided the value of these items is commensurate with the fair market value in the locality of the player(s) and
is not excessive in nature: (Revised: 4/25/02 effective 8/1/02)
(1) Meals directly tied to competition and practice held in preparation for such competition;
(2) Lodging directly tied to competition and practice held in preparation for such competition;
(3) Apparel, equipment and supplies;
(4) Coaching and instruction;
(5) Health/medical insurance;
(6) Transportation (expenses to and from practice competition, cost of transportation from home to train-
ing/practice site at the beginning of the season and from training/practice site to home at the end of
season);
(7) Medical treatment and physical therapy;
(8) Facility usage; (Revised: 4/24/03)
(9) Entry fees; and (Revised: 4/24/03)
(10) Other reasonable expenses; or (Adopted: 4/24/03, Revised: 10/28/04)
(b) Declares itself to be professional (see Bylaw 12.2.3.2.4). (Revised: 8/8/02)
12.1.1.1.2 Institutional Responsibilities.
12.1.1.1.2.1 Amateur Status After Certification. An institution is responsible for certifying the
amateur status of a prospective student-athlete (including two-year and four-year college transfers ini-
tially enrolling at an NCAA Division I institution) from the time he or she requests that a final certifica-
tion be issued by the NCAA Eligibility Center or from the time he or she initially enrolls as a full-time
student at an NCAA Division I or II institution (whichever occurs earlier). (Adopted: 4/30/07)
12.1.1.1.2.2 Sharing Information and Reporting Discrepancies. If an institution receives ad-
ditional information or otherwise has cause to believe that a prospective student-athlete’s amateur status
has been jeopardized, the institution is responsible for promptly notifying the NCAA Eligibility Center
of such information. Further, an institution is responsible for promptly reporting to the NCAA Eli-
gibility Center all discrepancies in information related to a student-athlete’s amateurism certification.
(Adopted: 4/30/07)
12.2.2.1 Practice Without Competition—Men’s Ice Hockey and Skiing. In men’s ice hockey and ski-
ing, an individual may participate in practice sessions conducted by a professional team, provided such participa-
tion meets the requirements of NCAA legislation governing tryouts with professional athletics teams (see Bylaw
12.2.1) and the individual does not: (Revised: 4/13/10 effective 8/1/10; applicable to student-athletes who initially
enroll full time in a collegiate institution on or before 8/1/10)
(a) Receive any compensation for participation in the practice sessions;
(b) Enter into any contract or agreement with a professional team or sports organization; or
(c) Take part in any outside competition (games or scrimmages) as a representative of a professional team.
12.2.3.1 Competition against Professionals. An individual may participate singly or as a member of an
amateur team against professional athletes or professional teams. (Revised: 8/24/07)
12.2.3.2 Competition with Professionals. An individual shall not be eligible for intercollegiate athletics
in a sport if the individual ever competed on a professional team (per Bylaw 12.02.4) in that sport. However,
an individual may compete on a tennis, golf, two-person sand volleyball or two-person synchronized diving
team with persons who are competing for cash or a comparable prize, provided the individual does not receive
payment of any kind for such participation. (Revised: 1/9/96 effective 8/1/96, 1/14/97, 4/25/02 effective 8/1/02)
12.2.3.2.2 Professional Player as Team Member. An individual may participate with a professional
on a team, provided the professional is not being paid by a professional team or league to play as a mem-
ber of that team (e.g., summer basketball leagues with teams composed of both professional and amateur
athletes).
12.2.3.2.4 Major Junior A Ice Hockey. Ice hockey teams in the United States and Canada, classified
by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association as major junior A teams, are considered professional teams
under NCAA legislation.
12.2.3.2.4.1 Limitation on Restoration of Eligibility. An appeal for restoration of eligibility
may be submitted on behalf of an individual who has participated on a major junior A ice hockey team
under the provisions of Bylaw 14.12; however, such individual shall be denied at least the first year of
intercollegiate athletics competition in ice hockey at the certifying institution and shall be charged with
the loss of at least one season of eligibility in ice hockey. (Revised: 1/11/89)
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