CASE: Concurrently Coaching and Playing

June, 1997 - Commissioner's Casebook

(O.C. Art I, Sec 6, 1, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3)
A student was completing a nine month internship at a college with part of his internship requirements involving him coaching the men’s volleyball team. He wished to also be eligible to compete for the college team as they had a limited roster. His internship involved a combination of practical work experience as well as class work that classified him as a full time student. However, he was receiving an honorarium to compensate for the hours involved in completing the internship.

RULING:

The student was declared ineligible to compete because his paid internship violated ruling 1.1 (still in O.C.), 1.2.5 and 1.2.6 (no longer in O.C.). The decision was appealed and denied on the basis that his payment exceeded the allowable limits of financial aid for a student athlete; 3 of his credit hours apply to his paid internship that amounts to, by his own calculation, 210 hours a month, which suggests he is more so an employee than a student; and previous rulings on concurrently playing and coaching have set a precedent in this matter. Following this ruling, the college submitted a signed affidavit stating that the student’s financial compensation would not exceed his enrollment fees. The submission of the affidavit was sufficient to deem the student eligible to compete for the college. 
(1996-97, Meadus)