The NCAA defines an Noninstutional Camp as such:
A privately owned camp or clinic is any camp or clinic that is not owned or operated by a member institution or an employee of the member institution’s athletic department. Privately owned camps may be held at any location, including on an institution’s campus.
The NCAA defines and Institutional Camp as such:
An institution’s sports camp or instructional clinic is any camp or clinic owned or operated by an NCAA institution or an employee of the institution’s athletics department, either on or off its campus, in which prospective student-athletes participate.
The NCAA doesn’t like Jim Harbaugh … or any coach … giving autographs, kissing babies, and taking photos with recruits at one of them.
Earlier this week, Harbaugh was dinged by the NCAA for signing autographs at satellite camps, which are by definition, likely to be Noninstitutional since they occur outside a 50-mile radius from the institution, which is the longest distance a school can hold a camp that “they own.”
This is yet another example of absurd bureaucracy that probably drives college coaches nuts. Since anyone anti-satellite camp (and unfairly, the NCAA, since they didn’t … you know … actually ban them) has been taking a ripe flogging after they were ruled to be okay, the nitpicking on what goes on has fully begun.
Harbaugh was signing autographs and compliance officer stopped him. "NCAA just made a rule 10 minutes ago saying i couldn't" – @CoachJim4UM
— Sam Webb (@SamWebb77) June 4, 2016
It’s unknown if Michigan will have to report secondary violations for the autographs, but how about just making it easy and wiping the 50-mile radius rule so that if a player or hell, someone who just admires a coach, can take a picture with him and get an autograph while showing up at a camp where that coach is working?
Once again, this is legislation against logic.
If Harbaugh really wanted to force the issue, he’d hold a joint camp with Eastern Michigan, which would both fall under the guidelines of “Institutional” since they’re owning it and within the 50-mile radius, and take all sorts of pictures and sign all sorts of autographs.
What’s the harm in Harbaugh snapping a few photos and signing a few pieces of paper? Can recruits go ask friends or fans to get an autograph from Harbaugh for them? What’s the end game here? Is that breaking the rules?
The idea of “noninstitutional camps” is rubbish as it is. Basically, you can’t hold a camp outside of 50-miles from campus, and if you do go to another one to recruit players, you can’t take pictures with them. So ostensibly, don’t take pictures with recruits at camps … unless it’s within 50 miles, and then that’s totally cool.
Nothing that comes from this will be ground breaking either way, but let’s be honest: we need less legislation against logic.
Free the autograph seekers, within 50 miles or not.
