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12.8.4 Hardship Waiver.
A student-athlete may be granted an additional year of competition by the conference or the Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement for reasons of “hardship.” Hardship is defined as an incapacity resulting from an injury or illness that has occurred under all of the following conditions: (Revised: 1/10/92 effective 8/1/92, 1/14/97 effective 8/1/97, 4/26/01 effective 8/1/01, 11/1/01, 4/3/02, 8/8/02, 3/10/04, 5/11/05, 8/4/05, 4/26/07, 9/18/07, 11/1/07 effective 8/1/08, 4/24/08, 7/31/14)
(a) The incapacitating injury or illness occurs in one of the four seasons of intercollegiate competition at any twoyear or four-year collegiate institutions or occurs after the first day of classes in the student-athlete’s senior year in high school;
(b) The injury or illness occurs prior to the first competition of the second half of the playing season that concludes with the NCAA championship in that sport (see Bylaw 12.8.4.3.4) and results in incapacity to compete for the remainder of that playing season; 2015-16 Division I – August 12Am ateurism and athletics eligibility 83
(c) In team sports, the injury or illness occurs when the student-athlete has not participated in more than three contests or dates of competition (whichever is applicable to that sport) or 30 percent (whichever number is greater) of the institution’s scheduled or completed contests or dates of competition in his or her sport. Only scheduled or completed competition against outside participants during the playing season that concludes with the NCAA championship, or, if so designated, during the official NCAA championship playing season in that sport (e.g., spring baseball, fall soccer), shall be countable under this limitation in calculating both the number of contests or dates of competition in which the student-athlete has participated and the number of scheduled or completed contests or dates of competition during that season in the sport. Dates of competition that are exempted (e.g., alumni contests, foreign team in the United States) from the maximum permissible number of contests or dates of competition shall count toward the number of contests or dates in which the student-athlete has participated and the number of scheduled or completed contests or dates of competition in the season, except for scrimmages and exhibition contests that are specifically identified as such in the sport’s Bylaw 17 playing and practice season regulations. Scrimmages and exhibition contests that are not exempted from the maximum permissible number of contests or dates of competition may be excluded from the calculation only if they are identified as such in the sport’s Bylaw 17 playing and practice season regulations; and
(d) In individual sports, the injury or illness occurs when the student-athlete has not participated in more than three dates of competition or 30 percent (whichever number is greater) of the maximum permissible number of dates of competition as set forth in Bylaw 17 plus one date for a conference championship (e.g., gymnastics: 13+1=14, wrestling: 16+1=17), regardless of whether the team participates in the conference championship, provided the institution is a member of a conference and the conference holds a championship event in the applicable sport. Dates of competition that are exempted per Bylaw 17 (e.g., alumni contests, foreign team in the United States) from the maximum permissible number of dates of competition do not count toward the number of dates in which the student-athlete has participated.
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12.8.6 Season-of-Competition Waiver—Competition While Eligible. A student-athlete may be granted an additional season of competition by the Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement in a case in which the student-athlete participated in a limited amount of competition while eligible due to a coach’s documented misunderstanding of the legislation or other extenuating circumstances. In cases in which a student-athlete does not meet the criteria of this waiver, the Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement shall have authority to review and grant a waiver based on additional documented extenuating circumstances. (Adopted: 4/25/02 effective 8/1/02, Revised: 10/28/04, 7/31/14)
12.8.6.3 Extenuating Circumstances. Extenuating circumstances include, but are not limited to, the following: (Adopted: 4/25/02 effective 8/1/02, Revised: 10/28/04, 7/31/14) (a) The student-athlete failed to complete the entire season of competition at the institution as a result of a life-threatening injury or illness suffered by a member of the student-athlete’s immediate family, that clearly is supported by contemporaneous medical documentation; (b) The student-athlete failed to complete the entire season of competition at the institution as a result of extreme financial difficulties as a result of a specific event (e.g., layoff, death in family) experienced by the student-athlete or an individual upon whom the student-athlete is legally dependent and prohibited the student-athlete from participating in intercollegiate athletics. These circumstances must be clearly supported by objective documentation (e.g., decree of bankruptcy, proof of termination) and must be beyond the control of the student-athlete or the individual upon whom the student-athlete is legally dependent; (c) The student-athlete’s institution dropped the sport (in which the student practiced or competed) from its intercollegiate program.