The commissioners of the five power conferences announced an agreement in concept on changes they will propose that are intended to give student-athletes more time off on Thursday. The purpose of the changes is to rebalance the student experience between athletics and campus life, allowing athletes to explore other interests they may have while in college.
The first area of change, Flex 21, will provide athletes with an additional 21 days in which they are free of required athletic activities during the academic year.
Every sport has different needs, so the proposal allows coaches and athletic directors the flexibility to come up with solutions that fit each indivdual sport.
“We believe we have found the right balance between helping students participate in sports while also providing them with more down time,” the commissioners of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, PAC-12 and SEC said in a joint statement. “Different sports have different demands and we think the concepts we’ve agreed to will help tens of thousands of students achieve more balance as they pursue their academic and athletic commitments.”
Post Season: Under the plan, all students would be free of required athletic activities for at least one week at the conclusion of the season in order to recover from the season.
Academic Year: To allow students to explore and participate in other collegiate activities, each student would be provided 14 days during the academic year during which there would be no required athletic activity. These days off could be taken at any time in the academic year.
In Season: The conferences also propose that every student playing a sport have at least one day a week free from sports, including travel, during the season.
“We heard from our students that they would like more certainty in their schedules in order to engage in other activities,” the commissioners said. “We recognize there will need to be a level of flexibility and reasonableness in carrying out these changes, especially with regard to travel, but students deserve time off and we want athletic departments to work in a sensible and appropriate way to provide it. We want administrators to have some degree of flexibility in implementing these rules, but they must be mindful that rest is important to a student’s health, in addition to their athletic and academic performance.”
These proposals represent an agreement from each power five conference. Each conference has the right to pursue additional changes if they see fit.
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