Mark Helfrich’s Oregon contract has NCAA rules stipulations

With the specter of NCAA violations hanging over Oregon, the university’s contract with new head football coach Mark Helfrich has specific and far-reaching stipulations about how the coach must handle potential breaches of NCAA rules -- and how he’ll be penalized if he doesn’t.

Helfrich isn’t just tasked with not breaking NCAA rules, he’s supposed to “actively look for red flags of potential violation” per Steve Berkowitz of USA Today. The contract features a ten-point list of Helfrich’s responsibility with regards to preventing violations, and mandates that he meet with the athletic director, Rob Mullens, annually to discuss potential compliance issues and how to handle them. Berkowitz called the extent of the contract’s stipulations “extraordinary in scope and detail.”

While the contract doesn’t explicitly acknowledge what caused the violations for which Oregon is currently under investigation, it does mention that they are under investigation, and that Helfrich is fully aware of those details. It’s speculated those investigations have to do with Willie Lyles, the scout who allegedly directed players towards Oregon in exchange for cash.

According to rules recently passed by the NCAA, coaches can be held responsible for violations committed by assistants unless they’re proven to have taken steps to prevent them.