INDIANAPOLIS---The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) today announced the names of members of the NCAA Task Force on Recruiting. The task force, appointed by NCAA President Myles Brand, is to review recruiting rules and recommend new standards to the Association's governing bodies.
The task force was established following allegations at some member institutions that detail a lack of moral and ethical judgment during the recruitment of some student-athletes. The charge for the task force is to review current NCAA rules and recruiting practices related to "official campus visits" and to propose changes that ensure an adequate opportunity for prospects to evaluate the academic, campus, social, team and community environments, while also requiring standards of appropriate conduct and accountability.
"We have very precise rules regarding the length of an official visit, how much can be spent on visits and other logistical issues," Brand said. "But the rules are less precise when it comes to behavioral issues, and that is where the focus of the task force will be."
The task force was formed with the purpose of initiating a thorough review of the current recruiting practices and bylaws, and it is separate from the enforcement function of the Association, which has jurisdiction to investigate violations.
"This task force has a big job in a short period of time," Brand said. "We are not going to go through another recruiting calendar in football without new standards in place."
"But it should also be remembered that the first line of defense is on the campus level," Brand added. "Institutions are responsible for the conduct of their student-athletes and staff, and at no time should anyone associated with collegiate athletics involve themselves in activities that erode moral character or that call into question the academic and athletics mission of the school. In cases where potential illegal conduct is detected, we should ensure that such information is made available to law enforcement officials."
Brand noted that some of the allegations are of criminal activity and that it is the responsibility of the campus to work with local law enforcement. The task force will not address those issues, but will concentrate on the types of ethical behavior around the recruiting process.
The task force includes institutional members, plus two student-athletes to be named and will be chaired by David Berst, NCAA vice-president for Division I. The NCAA Task Force on Recruiting members are listed below.
| Name | Title/Institution |
| David Berst, chair | Vice-President for Division I National Collegiate Athletic Association |
| Tim Curley | Director of Athletics Pennsylvania State University |
| Jeremy Foley | Director of Athletics University of Florida |
| Reggie Minton | Associate Executive Director National Association of Basketball Coaches |
| Greg Naples | Professor of Accounting/Faculty Athletics Representative Marquette University |
| Chris Plonsky | Director of Women’s Athletics University of Texas at Austin |
| Sonia Price | Interim Director of Athletics/Women’s Alabama State University |
| Shannon Reynolds | Senior Director of Events/External Affairs Women’s Basketball Coaches Association |
| Virginia Shepherd | Professor of Pathology Vanderbilt University |
| Gene Smith | Director of Athletics Arizona State University |
| Grant Teaff | Executive Director American Football Coaches Association |
| Patty Viverito | Commissioner Gateway and Pioneer Football Conference Associate Commissioner Missouri Valley Conference |
| Stan Wilcox | Associate Commissioner for Compliance Big East Conference |
| Jill Wilson | Director of Athletics Texas A&M University, Kingsville (Division II) |
| Debbie Yow | Director of Athletics University of Maryland, College Park |
| Katie Groke | Chair of the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee University of Wyoming |
| Student-Athlete #2 | TBD |
"The NCAA Executive Committee applauds president Brand's swift and decisive action to address the issue of recruitment," said Carol Cartwright, NCAA Executive Committee chair and Kent State University president. "The vast majority of our collegiate institutions are not engaged in practices as morally reprehensible as those alleged. Our Association should take action, however, to emphasize that intercollegiate athletics programs are expected to operate in a manner consistent with ethical decency."
The task force is expected to have recommendations for changes prepared by the next Division I Management Council meeting April 20. This timeline would allow for any changes to take affect prior to the next recruiting cycle.
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