Collegiate Sports

In 1991, Mike Glazier, a co-founder of the Slive/Glazier Sports Group (the first private legal practice focused exclusively on the representation of colleges and universities in NCAA rules compliance-related matters), joined Bond to create and lead the firm’s Collegiate Sports Practice Group (CSPG). For more than 30 years, Bond’s CSPG has provided a wide variety of NCAA rules compliance-related services to more NCAA member institutions than any other law firm or group engaged in this type of practice.

Our attorneys have represented hundreds of NCAA member institutions in NCAA infractions cases, consulted on student-athlete eligibility matters, and assisted clients in nearly every aspect of the NCAA regulatory environment, including current compliance trends related to revenue sharing and Name, Image and Likeness (NIL). 

Our experience includes:

• Assisting NCAA Division I institutions in compliance with House settlement terms.
• The first successful presentation to the NCAA Committee on Infractions in which an institution avoided a finding of a major violation in response to an allegation of lack of institutional control.
• Representing the first Division I institution to process an infractions case under the NCAA summary-disposition process and working with dozens of Division I and II institutions to resolve infractions cases through the Negotiated Resolution process (introduced in 2018).
• Representing multiple Division I institutions in the initial infractions cases referred to the NCAA Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP).
• Successful appeals of NCAA Committee on Infractions penalties through the Infractions Appeals Committee.
• Developing the first institutional audit program for NCAA rules compliance.
• Establishing the practice of including detailed reports on an institution's compliance system enhancements in institutional responses and reports to the NCAA Committee on Infractions. These reports consistently are cited among the key mitigating factors for imposing less than the minimum penalties prescribed by NCAA enforcement procedures.
• Representing a Division I institution and student-athlete in one of the first appeals to the NCAA Division I Administrative Review Subcommittee, resulting in the restoration of a season of competition to the student-athlete, and continuing representation of numerous institutions and student-athletes in that process.
• Assisting institutions in properly applying NCAA rules to specific situations and working with the NCAA staff in the interpretive process.
• Assisting member institutions and conferences in compliance with NCAA health and safety standards and guidelines established by the NCAA Sport Science Institute; 
• Representing clients in Arrington concussion compliance and in NCAA class-action concussion litigation;
• Developing a unique case-study method for conducting NCAA rules education seminars for coaches.

Our attorneys have conducted hundreds of potential major (Level I/II) infractions case investigations, and countless investigations of potential NCAA rules violations that were determined to be secondary (Level III) or non-violations.

We have achieved unequaled results in those cases by working cooperatively with NCAA and conference representatives, fairly evaluating the evidence and appropriately asserting the arguments and rights of the institutions, coaches and/or student-athletes in the NCAA process. We have represented more than 200 Division I institutions and numerous Division II and III institutions in the investigation and processing of infractions cases. We also have been involved in countless Summary Disposition and Negotiated Resolution cases and, when appropriate, we assist institutions in appealing decisions in an infractions case. 

As enforcement of NCAA rules continues to evolve to include the new rules and processes designated to the CSC, our past experience provides the Collegiate Sports Practice Group with the ability to seamlessly transition to working with clients in the investigation and arbitration mechanisms under the terms of the House Settlement.

Apart from our investigative and compliance work in NCAA matters, members of the CSPG are often retained to conduct discrete investigations of conduct-related and/or program culture issues within an athletics department or individual sports program (e.g., hazing, discrimination, substance abuse, sports wagering).  The conclusions and recommendations from our investigations in such matters are frequently relied upon by campus administrators and institutional counsel to improve campus policies/systems and promote healthy changes within the campus community, athletics department and/or sports program.

Bond is closely tracking the recently approved House v. NCAA settlement and is fully informed on ongoing litigation and developments in both state and federal law related to college athletics. Because of our extensive experience in NCAA-related regulations, Bond is fully prepared to assist clients with the implementation of House v. NCAA Settlement terms (e.g., roster limits, student-athlete NIL) and its related enforcement, resolution, and arbitration processes.

In utilizing its capabilities as a full-service law firm, Bond’s CSPG has expanded the scope of its practice to include attorneys from Bond’s Higher Education and Business practices to provide counsel concerning the changing intercollegiate athletics landscape. The direct integration of these attorneys with the CSPG has positioned Bond to be one of the few national law firms with the capability to immediately address the new realities faced by campus athletics programs.

Bond’s CSPG has set the standard in the design and implementation of NCAA and conference rules compliance programs.  Since 1991, our attorneys and consultants have conducted dozens of athletics compliance assessments and external audits for Division I, II and III institutions.

Our knowledge comes from our extensive firsthand infractions case experience, decades of work designing preventive systems, and our work with institutions large and small to implement new systems or refine current systems as issues are identified. The reports of our compliance systems assessments are thorough and contain a full complement of best-practice recommendations founded on industry standards. 

• NCAA Academic Performance Program
  • The Collegiate Sports Practice Group is affiliated with Forward Progress Athletics Consulting and the two organizations work together when NCAA Academic Performance Program (APP) management is needed in conjunction with the Group’s NCAA rules compliance, eligibility and infractions counsel. This collaboration offers NCAA Division I collegiate sports clients the full breadth of NCAA regulatory and APP services delivered by the leaders in this field. For additional information on Forward Progress, follow this link.
  • Academic Integrity Review

Bond’s CSPG attorneys and consultants have more than a century of combined experience in addressing every aspect of the NCAA regulatory environment, including extensive, successful experience in student-athlete eligibility reinstatement and legislative relief cases.

When you retain Bond to assist, the student-athlete and the institution benefit from our extensive knowledge and experience and our ability to present the circumstances in a manner that personalizes each case. As a result, student-athletes have the best opportunity to receive a fair and appropriately considered result, and to return to competition as promptly as the facts permit.

We have successfully advocated and achieved positive results in student-athlete eligibility and other legislative relief matters in all of the following categories:

• Initial Eligibility
• Legislative Relief
• Progress Toward Degree (Academic)
• Extension of Eligibility
• Season of Competition
• Student-Athlete Reinstatement
• PSA Reviews

Bond attorneys have extensive experience advising college and university athletics departments at all NCAA levels, from major Division I programs to Division II and III programs, in critical aspects of athletics business operations.  Our Higher Ed and Business attorneys routinely advise institutions on matters concerning employment contracts for coaches, athletics directors and other personnel; multimedia rights agreements; shoe and apparel contracts; pouring rights agreements; trademark licensing; event participation and facility usage agreements; and a variety of other contractual athletics business arrangements. Most recently, Bond attorneys from Bond’s Business and Collegiate Sports practices have been actively engaged with numerous institutions in the creation, adaptation, and review of institutional financial aid, revenue distribution, and Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) agreements with student-athletes.

Additionally, Bond’s tax attorneys routinely assist Higher Education clients in a wide range of domestic and international tax matters, and attorneys in the business department have extensive experience working with NCAA member institutions on athletics business matters, including institutions with embedded athletics corporations.

Our Collegiate Sports Practice Group includes former members of the NCAA staff who know how to navigate the oftentimes daunting and confusing NCAA rules and NCAA eligibility processes. They have successfully advocated for student-athletes’ eligibility in a variety of complicated circumstances including NCAA initial-eligibility certifications, NCAA amateurism concerns, NCAA transfer situations and NCAA academic issues, among others. Our attorneys understand the NCAA process and are passionate about helping young athletes, their families and coaches understand their options and how to make the appropriate case for establishing and maintaining NCAA eligibility.

Our Collegiate Sports Practice Group also assists institutions and conferences in the emerging field of health and safety compliance, including in external reviews of conduct-related issues within a college/university athletics department or individual sports program (e.g., hazing, discrimination, substance abuse, sports wagering).

Members of our team have first-hand experience from  direct involvement in the NCAA Concussion Class action litigation and from assisting numerous conferences and institutions in assessing risk and ensuring compliance with established medical standards of care in both conditioning and the athletic training room. We are able to work with our clients to ensure they are positioned to support collegiate athletics in the future and are able to provide the best possible care for their student-athletes. 

Bond has a team devoted to assisting our college and university clients with fulfilling their Title IX obligations, understanding rule changes as they occur and helping them navigate the space where state and federal requirements intersect, or even collide. Our Title IX team consists of attorneys who are not only knowledgeable about Title IX and its newest regulatory requirements concerning the investigation and adjudication of sexual misconduct cases, but also as it relates to sexual assault prevention guidance and gender equity in athletics. Higher Education has seen an increase in Title IX lawsuits and administrative proceedings, including the first lawsuit challenging the operations of NIL collectives under Title IX. Bond anticipates that Title IX litigation and scrutiny will only increase going forward, particularly in light of recent major NCAA reforms to NIL rules and student-athlete compensation initiatives arising out of antitrust litigation (e.g., House v. NCAA). Bond attorneys are actively providing Bond clients with strategic planning for the potential application of Title IX following the settlement of the House case.