WHEATIES AND THE NCAA DO NOT MIX

In a previous article we had discussed potential NCAA violations which could adversely affect your son or daughter.

As previously discussed, these violations can be committed by many different people including the athlete, the parents, coaches, school administrators, school boosters and agents among others. However, recently headlines were made out of the Olympics and the potential for an NCAA violation which was adverted.

I am specifically referring to the five members of US Women’s Olympic Gold Medal Ice Hockey Team whom may not appear on the Wheaties cereal box with their teammates. The five excluded were Tara Mounsey, Sara DeCosta, A.G. Mleczko, Angela Ruggiero and Jenny Schmidgall. The youngest of this group, Ruggiero, was a senior in high school and awaiting a full college hockey scholarship this fall.

The reason they could not appear on the Wheaties box was because NCAA rules prohibit the athlete from accepting any commercial sponsorships if they wish to continue playing college sports. Even though the players could have appeared on the box for free or possibly even donated any receipts their appearance on the box to charity, the NCAA rules do not allow athletes to use their names, photographs or otherwise to be used by anyone for financial gain.

Although this might seem very harsh and disingenuous, given the fact the respective schools make money from the athletes appearances, these are the rules.

Should you have any concerns regarding your son or daughter, please contact a knowledgeable attorney in the area of NCAA law or contact our office for advice.