On Friday, the NCAA announced it had reached a consensus resolution with the University of Miami regarding violations of NCAA rules when the school recruited basketball players Hayley and Hannah Cavinder.
The Cavinders moved to Miami from Fresno State in April 2022. The twin sisters are one of the most followed college athletes on social media. Their TikTok account has over 4 million followers. and each has over 500,000 Instagram followers.
According to the ruling, Miami Coach Cathy Meyer committed Level II violations when she set up a match between the Cavinders and Miami booster John Ruiz. Meyer was previously serving a three-game suspension from school at the start of the season due to the recruitment of sisters.
This is the first known NCAA punishment for violating the governing body’s new rules regarding name, likeness, and likeness.
The head coach met the booster at a university event for administrators, staff, donors, and potential donors. Although the head coach did not know Booster personally, she knew that he was a well-known businessman and participated in name, image, and likeness activities with student-athletes at the school. At the event, Booster and his family approached the coach to talk about the prospects’ upcoming visit to the university. The head coach later called the consultant to find out more about him and his work, unaware that the consultant had already contacted the prospect’s agent until the coach informed the coach that the prospect’s agent had initially declined to meet during their upcoming meeting. campus visit. However, the booster informed the head coach that he was “here to help” and wanted women’s basketball to be “huge” in Miami.
The university, head coach, and law enforcement all agreed that the head coach asked the assistant coach to contact potential clients and let them know that booster was a legitimate businessman, and the potential clients agreed to meet with him. The head coach then notified the booster that the prospects were available to meet him during the visit, and the booster worked with the prospect’s agent to set up a formal meeting. In the end, the prospects and their parents had lunch at the booster’s house. During the visit, the parties did not discuss the possibilities of NIL, but a supporter promoted the school by talking about his children’s experiences as student-athletes in Miami and his admiration for the school and the surrounding community.
This already served disqualification is the only disqualification associated with the resolution, and the Cavinders will not face any penalties. Miami’s women’s program received a year of probation and the program must win back a $5,000 fine in addition to a 1% penalty on the women’s basketball budget. The resolution also provides for a slight reduction in enrollments and official visits.
The NCAA also made sure to note in its statement that it does not set a precedent for future NIL fine violations in Miami.
“Finally, the panel noted in its decision that because this decision is a consensus decision, the penalties have no precedent value and the committee will strongly consider dissociation penalties in future cases involving NIL-related conduct,” the NCAA said in a statement. .
Ruiz, a lawyer and businessman, has become one of Miami’s most prominent supporters. He has signed NIL contracts with over 100 athletes since the NCAA allowed college athletes to earn money from their image rights.
Hayley Cavinder is the team’s leading scorer in 28 games this season, scoring nearly 13 points per game and shooting over 40% from three-point range. Hanna averages just under four points per game in 17 minutes.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
