Mark Emmert
FILE - In this Nov. 6, 2017, file photo, Indiana's Cory Thomas (11) kicks the winning goal past Penn State's Dani Marks (18) during overtime in a Big Ten NCAA college soccer match in Bloomington, Ind. The NCAA Board of Directors is allowing each division of the association to decide independently whether it will be able to conduct championship events safely in fall sports such as soccer, volleyball and lower levels of football during the coronavirus pandemic. (Chris Howell/The Herald-Times via AP, File)
Signs ominous and hopeful as college sports hangs in balance

By Ralph D. Russo Aug. 05, 2020 12:38 PM EDT

FILE - This Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019, file photo, shows the Pac-12 logo during the second half of an NCAA college football game between Arizona State and Kent State, in Tempe, Ariz. The Pac-12 has set Sept. 26 as the start of its 10-game conference-only football schedule. The Pac-12 announced three weeks ago it would eliminate nonconference games for its 12 member schools. (AP Photo/Ralph Freso, File)
#WeAreUnited players reach out to California Gov. for help

By Ralph D. Russo Aug. 04, 2020 09:47 PM EDT

FILE - This Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019, file photo, shows the Pac-12 logo during the second half of an NCAA college football game between Arizona State and Kent State, in Tempe, Ariz. The Pac-12 has set Sept. 26 as the start of its 10-game conference-only football schedule. The Pac-12 announced three weeks ago it would eliminate nonconference games for its 12 member schools. (AP Photo/Ralph Freso, File)
Next in summer of player empowerment: Pac-12 players unite

By Ralph D. Russo Aug. 03, 2020 01:46 AM EDT

FILE - In this Jan. 8, 2018, file photo, the championship logo is seen on the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium before the NCAA college football playoff championship game between Georgia and Alabama in Atlanta. There are more bowl games scheduled for the coming season than ever before in major college football: 42, not including the College Football Playoff championship. College football leaders are in the process of piecing together plans to attempt to play a regular season during the COVID-19 pandemic. If it is even possible, everyone anticipates there will be disruptions, added expenses and loads of stress just to get through it.(AP Photo/David Goldman)
NCAA heeds Division I's pleas for patience on fall sports

By Doug Feinberg And Ralph D. Russo Jul. 24, 2020 05:54 PM EDT

FILE - In this Dec. 7, 2019, file photo, Memphis quarterback Brady White, center, celebrates after his team defeated Cincinnati in an NCAA college football game for the American Athletic Conference championship, in Memphis, Tenn. The American Athletic Conference will require all its schools to test football players for COVID-19 at least 72 hours before competition. The announcement Thursday, July 16, 2020, by the American comes ahead of the expected release of recommendations for testing before games from the NCAA. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)
NCAA lays out plan for playing but warns of surging pandemic

By Ralph D. Russo Jul. 16, 2020 12:38 PM EDT

In this April 25, 2020 photograph, a small Mississippi state flag is held by a participant during a drive-by "re-open Mississippi" protest past the Governor's Mansion, in the background, in Jackson, Miss. This current flag has in the canton portion of the banner the design of the Civil War-era Confederate battle flag, that has been the center of a long-simmering debate about its removal or replacement. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Following athletes, NCAA takes aim at Confederate flag

By Ralph D. Russo Jun. 19, 2020 04:32 PM EDT

This undated photo provided by Georgia Tech alumnus Andy McNeil shows a Georgia Tech home game during the 1918 college football season. The photo was taken by Georgia Tech student Thomas Carter, who would receive a degree in Mechanical Engineering. The 102-year-old photo could provide a snapshot of sports once live games resume: Fans packed in a campus stadium in the midst of a pandemic wearing masks with a smidge of social distance between them on concrete seats. (Thomas Carter via AP)
Lessons from 1918: Old pandemic is a murky guide for sports

By Dan Gelston May. 21, 2020 02:20 AM EDT

FILE - In this March 12, 2020, file photo, John Swofford, commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference, announces the cancellation of NCAA college basketball games at the ACC tournament in Greensboro, N.C. The Power Five conferences spent $350,000 on lobbying in the first three months of 2020, more than they had previously spent in any full year, as part of a coordinated effort to influence Congress on legislation affecting the ability of college athletes to earn endorsement money. “In this particular case, the (Power Five) conferences are working together on this so that there’s less confusion, not more, in terms of the messaging to congressional leaders that helps explain NIL (Names, Images and Likenesses) and what the concerns are, and how it might work,” Swofford told The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown, File)
AP Exclusive: Power Five spend big on lobbying Congress

By Ben Nuckols May. 19, 2020 11:52 AM EDT

FILE - In this Aug. 12, 2019, file photo, Timothy White, chancellor of the California State University system, responds to a question from lawmakers about a state audit alleging the university did not disclose a $1.5 billion surplus while it raised tuition on students during a joint legislative committee hearing in Sacramento, Calif. San Diego State is looking at having football players return to campus no earlier than July 7 and is making plans to play the season as scheduled, athletic director J.D. Wicker said. Wicker said SDSU had been planning for a hybrid model, no matter what, and feels that CSU Chancellor Timothy White's announcement was misconstrued by some people who thought sports would be canceled. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
Football still a possibility at big 3 Cal State schools

By Bernie Wilson May. 17, 2020 04:35 PM EDT

FILE - In this Dec. 3, 2019, file photo, Washington NCAA college football defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake speaks during a news conference about taking over the head coaching position, in Seattle. Just when it seemed like things were up and rolling, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The ensuring national shutdown hurt coaches across college football as they prepare for next season, but it was particularly difficult on programs with first-year coaches trying to build something from the ground up. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)
Pac-12 football coaches pitch uniform start to season

By Ralph D. Russo May. 12, 2020 06:27 PM EDT

FILE - In this Dec. 1, 2018, file photo, Stanford coach David Shaw watches during the team's NCAA college football game against California in Berkeley, Calif. The Pac-12 has discussed the possibility of moving to an 11-game, all-conference schedule this year amid the unprecedented uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic, Southern California's Clay Helton says. Shaw also says he doesn't necessarily agree with NCAA President Mark Emmert's belief that college campuses should be open for college sports to resume. (AP Photo/John Hefti, File)
Pac-12 has discussed all-conference football regular season

By Greg Beacham May. 11, 2020 07:50 PM EDT

FILE - In this April 25, 2018, file photo, the NCAA headquarters is shown in Indianapolis. The NCAA is moving closer to permitting Division I college athletes to earn money from endorsements and sponsorship deals they can strike on their own. Recommendations for changes to NCAA rules that would permit athletes to earn money for their names, images and likeness are being reviewed by college sports administrators this week before being sent to the association's Board of Governors. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
Skeptics loom as NCAA builds guardrails around compensation

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 29, 2020 06:25 PM EDT

In this June 13, 2018 file photo, grounds crew prepare TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb., for the NCAA baseball College World Series. The Division I baseball championship, decided in this city of just under a half-million for the past 70 years, is among the many sporting events canceled or postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, file)
Preparing for budget crunch, conferences ask NCAA for relief

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 14, 2020 09:59 PM EDT

National Collegiate Athletic Association President Mark Emmert testifies during a Senate Commerce subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020, on intercollegiate athlete compensation. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
NCAA's Emmert presses Senate for 'guardrails' on athlete pay

By Ben Nuckols Feb. 11, 2020 02:31 PM EST

FILE - In this March 14, 2012, file photo, a player runs across the NCAA logo during practice at the NCAA tournament college basketball in Pittsburgh. The NCAA is on its heels again, playing defense of its archaic amateurism rules after missing an opportunity to get out in front of an issue. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)
Analysis: Lacking foresight, NCAA playing defense again

By Ralph D. Russo Oct. 07, 2019 02:29 PM EDT

FILE - In this Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018 file photo, Michigan defensive back Myles Sims (6) watches from the sideline in the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game against Penn State in Ann Arbor, Mich. With the college football season set to start for most teams this weekend, the NCAA has been handing down rulings left and right in waiver cases involving transfers seeking immediate eligibility. (AP Photo/Tony Ding, File)
Waiver woes: NCAA decisions on transfers bring relief, angst

By Ralph D. Russo Aug. 28, 2019 06:46 PM EDT

FILE - In this April 4, 2019, file photo, NCAA President Mark Emmert answers questions at a news conference at the Final Four college basketball tournament in Minneapolis. College athletes are continuing to function at high levels in the classroom but their Academic Progress Rate scores appear to be hitting a peak. The most recent statistics, released Wednesday, May 8, 2019, show this year’s overall four-year score matched last year’s record-high of 983 and that the four-year scores in football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball also matched last year’s marks. Baseball improved by one point to 976 while single-year scores at Historically Black Colleges declined slightly. “We are seeing some flattening of rates, which is not unusual given the large amount of data over a long period of time,” Emmert said in a statement. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)
NCAA to consider allowing athletes to profit from names

By Ralph D. Russo May. 14, 2019 05:33 PM EDT

Stanford quarterback K.J. Costello (3) hands off toe running back Bryce Love (20) against the California in the first quarter of a football game in Berkeley, Calif., Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/John Hefti)
Stanford at California 12/1/2018

Dec. 01, 2018 03:43 PM EST