NCAA board approves changes to constitution; vote in January

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA Board of Governors agreed Thursday to accept the recommendations for a new constitution to govern college sports, sending the revised document to a vote by the association’s full membership in January.

The NCAA released an initial draft of a revised constitution in early November, made revisions after feeedback and then held a special constitutional convention last month. A second draft of the new constitution was shared last week.

The board unanimously agreed to accept the committee’s latest recommendations.

Revising the constitution is the first phase of the process in transferring governing power in college sports from the NCAA to its three divisions, which include more than 1,200 schools and 450,000 athletes.

A new constitution would allow each division to create unique rules, setting the stage for a restructuring of Division I, the highest level of college sports with 350 schools.

"The ratification of a new constitution in January will unlock the ability for the divisions to rewrite rules for each division by August that will enable us to realize the goal of transforming NCAA governance to better serve our students,” Georgetown President Jack DeGioia wrote in a memo to membership.

A legislative proposal will be presented to the NCAA member schools Jan. 7. A vote to ratify the new constitution would come Jan. 20 at the convention in Indianapolis.