Boosters
Table of Contents
• Ask Before You Act
• Who is an Athletics Representative (a.k.a. "booster")?
• Who is a prospective student-athlete (prospect)?
• Can athletics' representatives contact a prospect?
• Telephoning a Prospect
• Calling Prospects about Summer Jobs
• Inducements for Prospects
• Providing benefits to Student-Athletes
• Using a Student-Athletes name or picture
• Student-Athletes' involvement in Promotional Activities
• Employing a Student Athlete
Ask before you Act
Texas Tech appreciates your interest and support but reminds you that an inappropriate contact or an inadvertent action on your part can jeopardize the eligibility of a prospective student-athlete, an enrolled student-athlete, and the institution. Texas Tech is proud to have your loyal support and continued interest in its athletics program. With your assistance and cooperation, we believe we can accomplish these goals.
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Who is an Athletics Representative (a.k.a. "booster")?
An individual is considered to be a representative of an institution's athletics interests just by being an alumni, friend, or fan. Once an individual is identified as an athletic representative, the person retains that identity indefinitely.
Representatives of athletics interests are subject to NCAA regulations and both the representative and the institution are subject to penalties for any violation of NCAA rules by athletics representatives.
A "representative of the institution's athletics interests" is an individual who is known (or who should have been known) by a member of the institution's executive or athletics administration to:
- Have participated in or to be a member of an agency or organization promoting the institution's intercollegiate athlete program;
- Have made financial contributions to the athletics department or to an athletics booster organization or that institution;
- Be assisting or to have been requested (by the athletics department staff) to assist in the recruitment of prospects;
- Be assisting or to have assisted in providing benefits to enrolled student-athletes or their families; or
- Have been involved otherwise in promoting the institution's athletics program.
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Who is a prospective student-athlete (prospect)?
A prospect is a student in the ninth grade or above, including students in prep schools and junior colleges and individuals who have officially withdrawn from four-year schools. Any student not yet in the ninth grade becomes a prospect if an institution provides him/her with any financial aid or other benefits that are not generally provided to prospective students.
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Can athletics' representatives contact a prospect?
Is it permissible to contact a prospective student-athlete or his/her parents or legal guardians?
No. An athletics representatives may not contact a prospect or his/her parents in-person, by telephone or in writing. Contact may not be made with a prospect or his/her parents on- or off- campus.
Is this contact rule applicable to "established family friends" or neighbors?
No. However, it must be understood that such contact cannot be made for recruiting purposes and cannot be initiated or arranged by the institution's coaching staff members. In addition, the established relationship must have occurred prior to the friend or neighbor becoming a prospect.
What if unavoidable incidental contact is made with a prospect by an athletics representative?
An unavoidable, incidental contact with a prospect is permissible provided the contact is not prearranged by the athletics representatives or an athletics department staff member, does not take place on the grounds of the prospects educational institution or at the sites of organized competition and practice involving the prospect or the prospects team, is not made for the purpose of recruitment of the prospect, and involves only normal civility. The athletics representatives must refer any questions about the institution's athletic program to the athletics department.
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Telephoning a Prospect
What if a prospect calls an athletics representative?
An athletics representative may have a telephone conversation with a prospect ONLY if the prospect initiates the call. Such a call may not be prearranged by an institutional staff member and the athletics representatives may NOT have a recruiting conversation, but may exhibit normal civility. The athletics representatives must refer any questions about the institution's athletic program to the athletics department.
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Calling Prospects about Summer Jobs
May an athletics representative contact a prospective student-athlete to discuss a summer job?
Yes, but only after the prospect has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the institution. A prospective student-athlete may not be employed until the completion of his/her senior year in high school. Additionally, any such contact must receive prior approval from the athletics department. When a prospect is employed, he/she must be paid only for work actually performed and at a rate commensurate with the going rate in that locality for similar services.
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Inducements for Prospects
What are considered other types of inducements that are prohibited for prospects, their relatives, or friends?
Other types of inducements that are prohibited include, but are not limited to the following: cash or loans; promise of employment after college education; special discounts or payment arrangements on loans; employment of relatives or friends of prospect; involvement in arrangement for free or reduced charges for professional or personal services, purchases or charges; use of an automobile; providing transportation to or from a summer job or to any other site; signing or co- signing a note for a loan; the loan or gift of money or other tangible items (e.g. clothes, cars, jewelry, electronic/stereo equipment); gifts of any kind; guarantees of bond; purchases of items or services from a prospect of the prospects family at inflated prices; providing directly or indirectly transportation to enroll in classes; any financial aid other than that administered by the institution; the promise of financial aid for post-graduate education; transportation costs incurred by relatives or friends of a prospective student-athlete; entertainment of a prospect or prospects family on- or off-campus; benefits connected with on- or off-campus housing (e.g. television sets or stereo equipment, specialized recreational facilities); tickets or admission to an athletic, institutional, or community event; educational expenses (e.g. typing costs, course supplies, use of a copy machine); or registration fees for summer sports camps.
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Providing Benefits for Student-Athletes
Can Student-Athletes be provided a benefit not available to the general student body?
No. An extra benefit is any special arrangement by an institutional employee or a representative of the institution's athletics interests to provide a student-athlete or the student-athlete's relatives or friend a benefit not expressly authorized by NCAA legislation. Receipt of a benefit by student-athletes for their relatives or friends is not a violation of NCAA legislation IF it is demonstrated that the same benefit is generally available to the institution's students or their relatives or friends or to a particular segment of the student body (e.g. foreign students, minority students, etc.) determined on a basis unrelated to athletic ability.
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Using a Student-Athletes Name or Picture
Is it permissible for anyone to use the name or picture of an enrolled student-athlete to directly advertise, recommend, or promote sales or use of a commercial product or service of any kind?
No.
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Student-Athletes Involvement in Promotional Activities
Is it permissible for student-athletes to be involved in any type of promotional activities?
It is permissible for student-athletes to be involved in promotional activities for institutional, charitable, educational, or nonprofit agencies provided the activity is approved by the institution.
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Employing a Student-Athlete
Is it permissible for an athletic representative to employ a student-athlete during the academic year while he/she is enrolled as a full-time student?
A student-athlete receiving a grant-in-aid may now receive employment income during the academic year in some situations. Both the student-athlete and the employer must sign a written statement prior to beginning any employment during the academic year. All student-athletes may be employed during the institutional vacation and summer periods. Please note that student-athletes may be compensated only for work actually performed and at a rate commensurate with the going rate in that locality for similar services.
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