So she said she was thrilled with the Big Ten’s decision Wednesday to allow student-athletes offered scholarships to a Big Ten institution to keep those scholarships as long as they remained members in good standing with the community, the university and the athletics department.
The Big Ten also announced that if the student-athlete’s pursuit of a degree is interrupted for “a bona fide” reason, that the student could later return to the institution to complete the degree with the aid of that scholarship.
Beatty’s and Dent’s bill also would require institutions to conduct baseline concussion testing of every student-athlete who participates in a contact or limited-contact sport before allowing the student to participate in activities. And it would require the NCAA provide due process to student-athletes and member institutions during investigations, giving students at minimum a hearing and one appeal.
In an interview Thursday, Beatty called the Big Ten’s decision a triumph not just for her, but for student athletes who risk losing scholarships if they don’t get enough playing time or are hurt.
The NCAA had originally offered four year scholarships, but changed the rules in 1973 to allow schools to give scholarships on a year-by-year basis.
Beatty said the Big Ten’s decision was almost “identical” to what she and Dent called for when they introduced their bill. Since then, she said, they’ve sent out joint letters and met with community leaders, university leaders and representatives from the NCAA.
“This is just huge for parents and for students,” she said, adding that she believes it will draw attention to other provisions in the bill and attract more sponsors for their bill.
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