Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 24, 1994 TAG: 9403240166
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From Associated Press reports
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
As part of a mediated settlement arising from a threat by the coaches to boycott Division I-A men's basketball games, the NCAA also said it would re-examine rules that the coaches say stifle their efforts to mentor teen-agers in inner-city neighborhoods.
The 15-point agreement between the NCAA and the Black Coaches Association was announced by the Justice Department's Community Relations Service, which was called in nearly 11 weeks ago to mediate the dispute after the disagreement threatened to disrupt the college basketball season.
Although the agreement provides for no immediate changes in NCAA rules, it defuses a dispute that erupted in January when the NCAA rejected a proposal by the coaches to restore a 14th scholarship for the 300 Division I-A basketball programs.
Even though the 14th scholarship was the focal point, a feud had been brewing for years between the BCA and the NCAA over college presidents' decision to assume more control over their athletic programs in the wake of several recruiting and academic scandals in the 1970s and 1980s. The coaches complained that the presidents, in their zeal to restore the credibility of their programs through higher academic standards and fewer scholarships, were denying college opportunities to minorities most in need of them.
by CNB