At its meeting in Indianapolis earlier this week, the Division I Management Council approved a proposal, submitted by the Ivy League, which eliminates the use of text-messaging in recruiting prospective student-athletes. I believe that this is good legislation – text messaging was becoming a nuisance for prospective student-athletes who were hearing from multiple coaches many times each day. This makes the recruiting process more formal, and doesn’t allow for 16 and 17-year-old kids to be contacted via cell phone during the school day or late at night. I’m well aware that new technology will soon allow a way for coaches to get around the legislation, but this is a step in the right direction. Not only does it provide peace for prospective student-athletes, but it eases the burden on coaches trying to land the blue-chip prospect. Perhaps this will help the work-life balance of coaches – at least for a little while. The legislation will go before the Division I Board of Directors (consisting of presidents and chancellors) for approval at its April 26 meeting in Indianapolis.

“It’s intruding on their lives and creating inappropriate relationships with coaches. If you don’t stop it now, what roads are you going to have to cross later on? If you want to ‘keep up with the times’ and ‘keep up to speed with student-athletes,’ you forget that student-athletes as a whole said they wanted the elimination of text-messaging,” said Anna Chappell, former University of Arizona student-athlete and chair of the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.