For those who don’t know, I’ve been in contact with the NCAA the past few weeks regarding compliance rules and regulations specifically for my Wrestler Strength System. The ways in which I was using some old videos and pictures to demonstrate exercises were called into question and I decided rather than go back and forth at the local level, to go straight to the source to best ensure the eligibility of the wrestlers I work with.
I spoke with Greg a number of times in the compliance office and he said my case was such a gray area case that he ended up having to meet with the three most senior compliance officers within the NCAA. He said they looked at my case from every angle the could and this is what they ruled:
Current High School Wrestlers: There are no rules/regulations about the use of images, names, etc. of a wrestler/athlete by a business to promote the sale of their product or service. HOWEVER, the person who is providing their name, image, or testimonial of the product/service cannot be given any special deals.
What This Means: Make sure you don’t get any special breaks. To avoid any issues like this, I have all my wrestlers pay me with checks so there is a traceable exchange between us. Additionally, don’t accept any free clothing, gifts, discounts, etc. to avoid any complications. Finally, make sure that the use of your name or image comes to an end once you become a student-athlete under NCAA rules.
Current College Wrestlers: There are way too many rules/regulations about the use of your name, image, etc. so just don’t do it! I had some pictures of wrestlers that I took while they were in high school simply demonstrating lifting technique and while the NCAA said they didn’t have any specific literature on the matter (most of it is on the use of a athlete’s name/image to promote the sale of a product or service) they said that it could be called into question.
Other Things I Found Interesting: If you know of any videos or pictures of you wrestling and it could be viewed as an advertisement in any way, have the person posting the videos/images remove them immediately. I had some YouTube videos up of wrestlers demonstrating exercises that I personally reviewed with Greg while I was on the phone with him. He said that the videos in and of themselves looked ok, but when he went to my page he said there were a number of things that some could use to say that the wrestlers image was being used to promote a business. He said background images on a YouTube page, the YouTube user name, and links on the YouTube page that are not directly embedded in the video or in the info box are all things could bring forth an issue.
In A Nutshell: If you think your name/image is being used to promote a product or service in any way, simply call the NCAA. At first I was hesitant to do so because I didn’t want them to rule against my material and then demand that I provide names of the wrestlers who were featured in the videos because the last thing I want to do is be the cause of my wrestlers losing eligibility. However, what I discovered was an unbelievably patient and understanding organization. Greg was extremely helpful. He said he looked at my case from every angle in his best efforts to say what I was currently doing was ok and nothing had to be changed. When he gave me the official verdict he was thorough and made sure he answered all of my questions. In the end, he thanked me for bringing this to his attention. He said the NCAA deals with cases all the time with businesses using current student athletes’ names/images for promotional purposes and some of them outright refuse to make changes and all that does is hurt the student athlete.
So Why Am I Telling You This: First, it’s important for you to know to stay eligible. And second, due to the ruling of the NCAA, I was forced to either make changes to the Wrestler Strength System or my athletes would face a potential loss of eligibility. So naturally I got to work immediately to make things right. While I was making the necessary changes I began to think to myself, “You know what you should do? Take this somewhat negative situation and these many additional hours of work you have to do and turn it into a positive one for everyone that comes to your blog.”
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