Current NCAA Legislation
13.02.13 Telephone Calls.
In Divisions I and II, facsimiles and other electronically transmitted correspondence shall not be considered telephone calls. In Division I, prearranged electronically transmitted correspondence between an authorized institutional staff member and one or more prospects shall be considered a telephone call."

13.4.1 Divisions I and II-Printed Recruiting Materials.
A Division I or Division II institution may not provide recruiting materials to a prospect (including general correspondence related to athletics) until September 1 at the beginning of the prospect's junior year in high school. Member institutions are permitted to provide only the printed materials listed below to prospects, coaches of prospects or any other individual responsible for teaching or directing an activity in which a prospect is involved. A member institution is not permitted to provide prospects with any recruiting materials not listed below (e.g., films, videotapes, original newspaper clippings in Division I). Violations of this bylaw shall be considered institutional violations per 2.8.1; however, they shall not affect the prospective student-athlete's eligibility.

d. Electronic Transmissions-Divisions I and II.
Facsimiles and electronic mail may be sent to a prospect. Prearranged electronically transmitted correspondence between an authorized institutional staff member and one or more prospects shall be considered a telephone call.

13.4.2 Divisions I and II-Video/Audio Materials.
A Division I or Division II institution may not produce video/audio materials to show or send to a prospect except as specified in 13.4.2.1, 13.4.2.2 and 13.4.2.3. Violations of this bylaw shall be considered institutional violations per 2.8.1; however, they shall not affect the prospective student-athlete's eligibility.

13.4.2.1 Highlight Film/Videotape/Audio Tape.
An institution may show a highlight film/videotape/audio tape to a prospect or the prospect's coach but may not send it to or leave it with the prospect or coach. Highlight films/videotapes/audio tapes are "game clips" that contain informational material that is related to a particular event or sports season. Any narration on the highlight film/videotape/audio tape must relate specifically to the event or sports season.

Official Interpretations
Item No. 9-c. (2)-(a)
Coaching Staff Member Contacting Prospect through Video Conference: (I) The NCAA Division I Management Council used its authority set forth in NCAA Constitution 5.4.1.2.1.5 to reverse a previous Council-approved official interpretation and agreed that it is permissible for an institution’s coaching staff member to engage in face-to-face contact with a prospect via video conference, provided such contact counts as a recruiting contact and occurs during a permissible contact period. [References: NCAA Bylaws 13.4.2 (video/audio materials) and 13.02.3 (contact)]

Item No. 9-c. (2)-(b)
Electronic Mail Attachments: (I) The NCAA Division I Management Council used its authority set forth in NCAA Constitution 5.4.1.2.1.5 to reverse a previous Council-approved official interpretation and agreed that it is permissible for an institution’s coaching staff member to include color attachments with electronic mail correspondence sent to prospective student-athletes. [Reference: Bylaw 13.4.1 (printed recruiting materials correspondence electronic transmissions)] Coaches Contacting Prospects Through a Pager
(I) The use of a pager to contact a prospect is considered a telephone call. If a pager permits a text message to be displayed, an institutional coaching staff member who leaves a message in excess of a greeting is considered to have made a telephone contact. [References: Bylaws 13.1.3 (telephone calls to prospects) and 13.1.3.1 (time period for telephone calls general rule)]

Summer Camp Advertisements on the Internet
(I) An institution may advertise its camp and clinic on a recruiting publication's Web site provided the format of such advertisements is identical and the Web site camp directory includes multiple listings of summer camps. The subcommittee noted that the half-page size restriction applicable to advertisements in printed publications is not applicable to advertisements placed on the Internet. [Reference: NCAA Bylaw 13.4.5.1.2 (summer camp advertisements)]

Prearranged Electronic Communication
(I) Pursuant to Proposal No. 99-101, electronically transmitted correspondence between an institutional staff member and a prospective student-athlete shall be considered prearranged whenever a time and method for such electronic correspondence has been designated in advance. The subcommittee recommended that the NCAA Division I Management Council, pursuant to NCAA Constitution 5.4.1.1.1, consider using its authority to modify Proposal No. 99-101 to indicate that any electronic correspondence sent by "instant messenger" or similar means also would be considered a telephone call, regardless of whether such forms of communication are prearranged. [Reference: Proposal No. 99-101 (recruiting telephone calls)

Purchasing of Advertisements Involving Noninstitutional Publications:
(I) An institution may permit a noninstitutional publication that reports primarily on an institution's athletics program to purchase advertising space in an institutional publication (e.g., game program) or an institutionally-controlled media outlet (e.g., institution's coach's show or web site) without such advertising constituting an impermissible endorsement of the noninstitutional publication, provided the opportunity to purchase such advertising space is open to the general public on an equal-access basis at the established rate. Similarly, it is permissible for an institution to purchase advertising space in a noninstitutional publication that reports primarily on the institution's athletics program or a media outlet controlled by the noninsitutional publication (e.g., the noninstituional publication's web site) without such advertising constituting an impermissible endorsement of the noninstitutional publication, provided the opportunity to purchase such advertising space is open to the general public on an equal-access basis at the established rate. The subcommittee noted that it remains impermissible for an institution's web site to provide a hyperlink (i.e., direct link) or make direct reference to the web site of a noninstitutional publication that reports primarily on the institution's athletics program. [References: Bylaw 11.3.2.7 (noninstitutional publications that report on athletics program) and Official interpretation 11/17/98, Item No. 3

Web Site Information.
(I) It is permissible for a institution's web site or an athletics department staff member's personal web site to include information related to the institution's athletics programs and a hyperlink to the institution's athletics web site, provided neither the institution's web site nor the athletics department staff member's personal web site contains: (1) information regarding prospective student-athletes, except as permitted under Bylaw 13.11.8; (2) any hyperlink to the web site of a recruiting/scouting service or a noninstitutional publication that reports primarily on the institution's athletics program; (3) recruiting videos or other audio/video materials, except as permitted under Bylaw 13.4.2.1. [References: Bylaws 13.4.1 (printed recruiting materials) and 13.4.2.1 (highlight film/videotape/audio tape)

Use of Video Clips of Prospects During Announcement of Signing:
(I) It is permissible for an institution to show video clips of a prospect through its normal media outlets (e.g., television, Web sites) during its announcement of the prospect's signing, provided such publicity occurs only after the prospect has signed a National Letter of Intent or subsequent to the prospect's signed acceptance of the institution's written offer of admission and/or financial aid with the institution. Further, an institution may produce a single highlight film (per sport) that includes all of its signed prospects to show to its boosters in conjunction with booster club functions. The subcommittee noted that although other prospects may appear in the video clips, the focus of the clip must be related to the prospect who has committed to the institution. [References: NCAA Bylaws 13.11.8 (announcement of signings), 13.11.8.1 (media outlets), 13.11.8.2.1 (one-time exception - announcement of all signings), 13.11.8.5 (press-release content), and former Interpretations Committee 2/17/94, Item No. 1]

Institutional Web Site Links to Noninstitutional Publication/Recruiting Service:
It is not permissible for an institution's website to provide a hyperlink (i.e., direct link) or make direct reference to either the website of a noninstitutional publication that reports primarily on the institution's athletics program or a recruiting/scouting service, inasmuch as such activity is considered to be a nonpermissible endorsement of the publication and/or scouting/recruiting service. [Reference: 11.3.2.7 (Non institutional publications that report on athletics program) and 11.3.2.10 (recruiting service consultants)

Coaching Staff Member Contacting Prospect Through Video Conference/VideoPhone (Division II)
The subcommittee determined that it would be permissible for an institution's coaching staff member to engage in a face-to-face contact with a prospective student-athlete via a videoconference or video telephone and that such contact would constitute one of the three permissible contacts. [References: NCAA Bylaws 13.02.3 (contacts); 13.4.2 (NCAA Division I and II audio/visual materials); 13.1 (contacts and evaluations); and 13.01.6 (time periods for telephone calls and contacts)

Computer Recruiting Presentations:
(I) It is not permissible for members of an institution's coaching staff to show prospects computer recruiting presentations (e.g., using presentation software) during the recruiting process. [Reference: NCAA Bylaw 13.4.2 (Division I -- video materials)

Published Scouting Service:
Reviewed the provisions of Bylaw 13.14.3 and determined that a prospective student-athlete may utilize a scouting service or other outside agency to produce a videotape highlighting his or her athletics ability in order to provide the videotape to a particular member institution, provided the institution does not arrange for or request that the videotape be produced.

Agreed that the provisions of Case No. 207 would permit an institution's athletics department to subscribe to a periodic, regularly published scouting service pertaining to prospective student-athletes when the service takes the form of a computer printout, it being understood that the printout is available to any member institution wishing to subscribe to the service. In addition, it was noted that the requirements of Case No. 207 would not be applicable if no fee is charged to member institutions by the scouting service, and this apparently would resolve the situation; however, concern was expressed regarding the application of the tryout rule to such scouting services, which reportedly may arrange extensive tryout activities in order to develop the material to be included in the scouting service report, and this issue was referred to the Council for consideration in August.

Institutional Web Site Providing Link to Noninstitutional Web Site:
The membership services staff confirmed that an institutional Website may not provide a direct hyperlink to a noninstitutional Web site that primarily is devoted to providing information regarding prospective student-athletes (e.g., recruiting or scouting service). An institution's Web site, however, may provide a link to a noninstitutional Website that contains a variety of information, including an indirect link to recruiting/scouting information, inasmuch as such activity is not considered to be an endorsement of a recruiting/scouting service.

Electronic Mail Sent During an Institution's Contest:
The membership services staff determined that an institution may send electronic mail to prospective student-athletes during the conduct of one of its contests. The staff recommended that the NCAA Division I Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet Subcommittee on Legislative Review/Interpretations and the Division II Legislation Committee review this issue to determine if either wishes to sponsor legislation to preclude such activity. [References: NCAA Bylaws 13.1.3.2.1 (telephone calls to prospects -- during the conduct of athletics contest) and 13.4.1-(d) (electronic transmissions -- NCAA Divisions I and II)

Student-athlete's Names or Pictures in Electronic Publications:
The legislative services staff confirmed that the same principle governing the use of a student-athlete with remaining eligibility in an advertisement promoting a printed athletics publication is applicable to an advertisement of an athletics publication that may be electronically accessed. Thus, a student-athlete's name or picture may appear in the advertisement only through a reproduction of the publication's cover and no direct reference to the student-athlete may be made.

Scouting Service Providing Member Institutions With Profiles of Prospects:
An institution may not pay a subscription fee to a scouting service that "matches" prospective student-athletes with institutions on the basis of an institution's team profile and the prospect's interest and abilities, inasmuch as the information regarding the prospective student-athlete is not available to all institutions desiring to subscribe to the service. The Recruiting Committee reviewed this issue and supported the staff's interpretation. [Reference: 13.15.3 (published scouting service)] [Note: This staff minute replaces Item No. 1-a of the August 23, 1991, staff minutes, which has been archived in the legislative services data base.