If you thought the controversy surrounding the NCAA ban on satellite camps hadn’t gotten ridiculous enough, you’re in luck. The U.S. Department of Justice is reportedly looking into the proposed ban, according to USA Today’s Paul Myerberg.
Department of Justice investigating NCAA satellite camp ban
Of course, why not?
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The DOJ is reportedly looking into the camp ban to decide whether the ban limits opportunities for high school players to be seen by college coaches. Considering satellite camps were an excellent and efficient way for players to be seen by a number of coaching staffs at once, there’s no question that it limits their access. But the ban would not prevent players from going on visits to schools or being scouted in other ways, even if some of those visits are outside the financial reach of many families.
The NCAA Division I Council voted on the ban back in early April, but it must be approved by the NCAA Board of Governors on April 28.
Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott went public last week saying that UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero did not vote the way the rest of the conference membership wanted him to. The conference vote was 11-1 in favor of the camps, but Guerrero ended up voting against them, which he said he did because the ban would have passed regardless of his vote anyway.
The ban ended up passing with a vote of 10-5 in favor. Each of the five power conferences get two votes, so even if Guerrero had voted against the ban, it would have still passed with an 8-7 margin. The Sun Belt and Mountain West both voted for the ban as well, and coaches from both conferences expressed their frustration with the decision with SB Nation.
In light of the outcry against the ban and now potential federal involvement, one would think there’s a chance the camp ban gets tabled for the time being. Trying to predict NCAA administrative decisions is a futile endeavor, though, so we’ll all find out together.
