INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – The NCAA is getting out of the memorabilia business.
NCAA President Mark Emmert said Thursday it would stop the practice immediately after reports this week that team jerseys and other items linked to individual schools could be found on its own website by searching for specific player names.
”I think seeing the NCAA sell those kinds of goods is a mistake,” Emmert said during a conference call with reporters. ”It’s not what the NCAA is about. So we’re not going to be doing that any longer.”
The NCAA is being sued by former players and a handful of current college players in federal court over the use of athlete images and likenesses. And just this past week, ESPN reported that the NCAA is investigating Heisman Trophy-winner Johnny Manziel for allegedly being paid to sign memorabilia, which if true could jeopardize eligibility as a violation of NCAA amateurism rules.
Emmert said the commercial site won’t be completely removed because there is still a market for generic NCAA apparel. He said the NCAA had hired another company to run the site, ShopNCAASports.com.
Mark Lewis, the NCAA’s executive vice president for championships and alliances, also released a statement, saying university merchandise would not be offered, either.
”In the coming days, the store’s website will be shut down temporarily and reopen in a few weeks as a marketplace for NCAA championship merchandise only,” Lewis said. ”After becoming aware of issues with the site, we determined the core function of the NCAA.com fan shop should not be to offer merchandise licensed by our member schools.”
The move overshadowed a news conference that was intended to update reporters about possible changes to the NCAA’s governance structure. Members of the board of directors and executive had a preliminary discussion on potential changes, though no vote is expected until next August.
Instead, the hot topics became Manziel, NCAA rules and the website fiasco.
Board chairman Nathan Hatch was asked whether some of the NCAA rules regarding payments to college athletes should be modified.
”I stand by the NCAA’s commitment to amateurism, and I believe the way we’ve done that is the correct way,” the Wake Forest president said. ”So I believe the rules we have, we agree with.”
The NCAA’s new enforcement chief, Jonathan Duncan, later told The Associated Press he does not anticipate modifications to those rules, either.
”Based on my experience before coming to the national office, I know that lots of member groups, cabinets and committees have looked over the years and that lots of changes have been proposed and have not been approved,” he said. ”It’s up to the membership and if they change the rules, the enforcement staff will follow their lead.”
And, of course, back to more memorabilia questions.
”We’re exiting it as soon as we feasibly can,” Emmert said. ”Again, I think it was inappropriate for us to be in that business, and we won’t be in the future.”
Related Stories
‹

Chansky's Notebook: Unanswered QuestionsThe House settlement is clearly a football deal. But what happens to every other sport at UNC that depends on it?

Federal Judge Approves $2.8B Settlement, Paving Way for US Colleges To Pay Athletes MillionsWritten by EDDIE PELLS A federal judge signed off on arguably the biggest change in the history of college sports Friday, clearing the way for schools to begin paying their athletes millions as soon as next month as the multibillion-dollar industry shreds the last vestiges of the amateur model that defined it for more than […]

Multiple UNC Athletics Programs Post Perfect Academic Progress Rates; Football Sets New HighTwelve different UNC athletic programs achieved a perfect Academic Progress Rate of 1,000 during the 2022-23 school year and 20 exceeded the national average of their respective sports in their four-year rates, according to a release from the athletic department. A highlight of the latest report is the football program, which achieved a record four-year […]

Chansky's Notebook: Not Even CloseWhenever, and if ever, the NCAA's multi-billion-dollar settlement with college athletes happens, it won’t be in the foreseeable future.

NCAA, Leagues Back $2.8 Billion Settlement, Setting Stage for Current, Former Athletes to Be PaidThe NCAA agreed to pay nearly $2.8 billion to settle a host of antitrust claims, likely setting up a revenue-sharing model in college sports.

Chansky's Notebook: Big LosersIn the House v. NCAA court case, the NCAA luxury liner is about to get shattered, and everyone on board will lose something.

Federal Judge Issues 14-Day Restraining Order to NCAA in Stein-Led LawsuitA federal judge issued a temporary, 14-day restraining order on the NCAA’s transfer waiver rule on Wednesday. It’s the latest development in a lawsuit led by a group of seven state attorneys general, including North Carolina’s Josh Stein. Under the restraining order, college athletes who were denied the opportunity to play immediately after a second […]

Here's the Best of UNC Social Media After Tez Walker Was Declared Eligible for 2023After waiting four games into the 2023 season and weeks for the formal approval from the NCAA of his transfer to UNC, wide receiver Devontez ‘Tez’ Walker and the Tar Heels finally got the message they had been waiting for. The NCAA announced on Thursday that Walker is now officially eligible to play for the […]

Social Media Reactions: UNC, College Football Fans Slam NCAA's Ruling on Tez WalkerUNC wide receiver Devontez “Tez” Walker received the final ruling on his 2023 eligibility on Thursday, as an NCAA committee voted against his waiver to play after transferring from Kent State this offseason. The pre-season All-ACC junior and Charlotte native played two seasons with the Golden Flashes after leaving NC Central in 2020, as the […]

North Carolina Laws Curtailing Transgender Rights Prompt Less Backlash Than 2016 ‘Bathroom Bill'Written by HANNAH SCHOENBAUM and GARY D. ROBERTSON Seven years ago, North Carolina became ground zero in the nationwide fight over transgender rights with the passage of a “bathroom bill” that galvanized culture warriors, canceled business projects and sporting events and influenced a gubernatorial race. And while a similarly Republican-controlled legislature’s enactment this week of a trio of […]
›