ACC Lays Out Autonomy Platform

So the ACC has autonomy. What exactly are they going to do with these new flexible powers. After a series of subcommittee meetings we now know what the ACC will do with their newfound power, try to take over the world! Oh, not tonight. Well then how about this from the ACC website:

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•Examination of scholarship protections for student-athletes;
•Meeting a student-athlete’s cost of attendance;
•Ensuring institutional flexibility to provide educational support for former student-athletes;
•Examination of career-related insurance options for student-athletes; and
•Ensuring that nutritional needs of student-athletes are met in a reasonable way.

So what does that mean? Scholarship protections can be summarized the following way. This is a signal that the members of the Atlantic Coast Conference intend to move to four year scholarships. Right now a scholarship is a yearly amount. It can be renewed next year or not. Guaranteeing a scholarship for four years ends that fear of simply being cut off. Big schools have wanted to move in this direction for a while, but the smaller institutions feared the extra expense.

Meeting cost-of-attendance means supplementing scholarships with stipends for food or other necessities. Scholarships cover classes and housing, but do not extend further. Also student-athletes are prevented from marketing themselves to make extra money or working.

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Garnet and Cocky

The third point means making it easier for former student athletes to return to get their degrees after their professional careers are over, or while they are in them. This is along the same line as saying a scholarship has a four year value, even if the player leaves after three or one as the case may be.

Career-related insurance options are a way to protect star players against future injury that might derail their pro careers. There was already a loophole that Florida State used to help fund a policy on Jameis Winston, but this provision means that this might become common practice around the league.

The things are ostensibly done to protect student-athletes, but don’t underestimate the attractiveness that this might bring to ACC schools. It may not help against recruiting with the SEC, who will do similar things, but it might sway bubble talents away from the smaller schools in search of security.