drakelead By Dr. Gerald Gurney and Mary Willingham Originally published July 18, 2014 The National Collegiate Athletic Association rarely admits to the need to revisit an infractions case, and particularly one that strikes at the core of academic integrity issues. So when the NCAA announced an unusual and embarrassing return to the University of North Carolina … Read more
By Dr. Andrew Zimbalist Originally published August 16, 2020 The Rutgers athletics department should be required to hang a sign outside its front office: DANGER, KEEP OUT. It has been running growing financial deficits since 2003; piled up hundreds of millions of dollars in debt; been upgraded to the Big Ten, where its football team is … Read more
By Dr. Allen Sack and Dr. Gerald Gurney Originally published May 6, 2019 During the weeks-long buildup to college football’s biggest bowl games last December, it was hard not to notice that many of the teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 were having a lot more success on the gridiron than their players … Read more
By Gerald Gurney and Dr. Richard M. Southall Originally published February 14, 2013 A decade has passed since the National Collegiate Athletic Association rolled out its academic reform package. In that time, there is strong evidence that the reforms designed to open access to higher education to more athletes and punishing coaches and institutions failing … Read more
By Dr. Gerald Gurney and Dr. B. David Ridpath Originally published February 29, 2016 The NCAA slipped an important announcement by the public last month when the Board of Governors, consisting of 20 college chancellors and presidents, approved a contract extension until 2020 for the organization’s president, Mark Emmert. The board said Emmert had been an integral agent of … Read more
By Dr. B. David Ridpath & Dr. Gerald Gurney Originally published July 5, 2020 In fall 2020, Dr. Mark Emmert will reach a decade as president of the NCAA, the nation’s largest tax-exempt and educational non-profit governing college sport. Last year, his contract was extended until 2023. Emmert earned a staggering $3.9 million in total … Read more
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Drake Group is encouraged that the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary reviewed issues related to integrity in intercollegiate athletics on July 22, 2020. While the hearing mostly focused on Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights along with various state and federal NIL proposals, there were also important exchanges on … Read more
The Drake Group is encouraged that the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary reviewed issues related to integrity in intercollegiate athletics on July 22, 2020. While the hearing mostly focused on Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights along with various state and federal NIL proposals, there were also important exchanges on COVID-19, concussions, racial disparities, … Read more
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A sparkling glimmer of hope was ignited by a group of Pac-12 football players on August 2nd with the issuance of their “Pac-12 Football Unity Demands.” The Drake Group applauds the courage and efforts of these players to bring public attention to their health and safety concerns during this pandemic and … Read more
The Drake Group has fielded a number of questions from Congressional offices on NIL issues. There are three issues that appear to cause considerable confusion: (1) the meaning of “institutional revenue sharing with college athletes,” (2) group or joint licensing with the athlete’s institution, and (3) the extent to which Congress should grant a “limited … Read more