Statements in response to the report by the Commission on College Basketball

The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics released the following statements in response to the report by the Commission on College Basketball chaired by Condoleezza Rice

“We applaud the far-reaching reforms recommended by the Commission on College Basketball, which we will examine at the Knight Commission public meeting May 7 in Washington, D.C.,” said Knight Commission Co-Chair Carol Cartwright, president emeritus, Kent State University and Bowling Green State University. “We are pleased to see the Rice Commission endorse a longstanding goal of the Knight Commission, to add independent directors to the NCAA governing board. The addition of at least five independent public members to the NCAA Board of Governors will improve governance for all of college sports, not just college basketball.”

The Knight Commission’s other co-chair, former U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, cautioned, “We still don’t know yet that the NCAA is capable of truly protecting and supporting the education, health, safety, and well-being of student-athletes — and big challenges to the integrity of college basketball persist. We look forward to addressing these challenges at our meeting next month.”

About the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics

The Knight Commission was formed by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in October 1989 to promote a reform agenda that emphasizes the educational mission of college sports. Over the years, the NCAA has adopted a number of the Commission’s recommendations, including the rule that requires teams to be on track to graduate at least 50 percent of their players to be eligible for postseason competition.

The Commission will hold a public meeting in Washington, D.C. on May 7, 2018 at the Knight Conference Center in the Newseum. More information about this meeting can be found at www.knightcommission.org.