Medical Hardships - Syracuse University Athletics

NCAA bylaw 14.2.4 defi nes medical hardship as an incapacity resulting from an injury or illness. In order to be granted a medical hardship waiver, the following conditions must be met:

1. The student-athlete may not have participated in more than three contests or dates of competition, or more than 30%

(whichever number is greater) of the institutions scheduled or completes contests or dates of competition in his or her sport;

2. The injury or illness must occur prior to the completion of the fi rst half of the season;

3. The injury or illness must be incapacitating;

4. Appropriate medical documentation must exist and be provided to the appropriate departments.

Team sports

In order to get a medical hardship waiver in team sports, the he injury or illness must occur before the student-athlete has

participated in more than 3 contests or dates of competition, or 30% (whichever number is greater) of the institution’s scheduled or

completed contests or dates of competition in his or her sport. Only scheduled or completed competition against outside participants

during the playing season that concludes with the NCAA championship, or, if so designated, during the offi cial NCAA championship

playing season in that sport (e.g. spring ball, fall soccer), shall be countable under this limitation in calculating both the number of

contests or dates of competition in which the student-athlete has participated and the number of scheduled or completed contest or

dates of competition during that season in the sport.

Note: Dates of competition that are exempted, such as alumni contests or foreign teams, shall count toward the number of

contests or dates in which the student-athlete has participated and the number of scheduled or completed contests or dates of competition

in the season, except for scrimmages and exhibition contests that are specifi cally identifi ed as such in the sports playing and practice

season regulations. Scrimmages and exhibition contests that are not exempted from the maximum permissible number of contests

or dates of competition may be excluded from the calculation only if they are identifi ed as such in the sports Bylaw 17 playing and

practice season regulations.

Individual sports

In order to get a medical hardship waiver in individual sports, he injury or illness must occur before the student-athlete has

participated in more than three dates of competition or 30% (whichever number is greater) of the maximum permissible number of

dates of competition as set forth in Bylaw 17 plus one date for a conference championship, regardless of whether the team participates

in the conference championship, provided the institution is a member of a conference and the conference holds a championship even

in the applicable sport.

Note: Dates of competition that are exempted per Bylaw 17, such as alumni contests or foreign teams, do not count toward

the number of dates in which the student-athlete has participated.

In order to be granted a hardship waiver, it is not necessary that the incapacitating injury or illness be a direct result of the

student’s participation in the institutions organized practice or competition.

A student-athlete who qualifi es for a hardship for the previous academic year would not use a season of competition if that

student-athlete were to represent to institution on a certifi ed foreign tour during the summer-vacation period at the conclusion of that

academic year.

Please note: A student-athlete who suffers an injury in the fi rst half of the season that concludes with the NCAA championship

and then attempts to return to competition during the second half of the season and then is unable to participate further as a result

of aggravating the original injury does not qualify for the hardship waiver.

Medical hardship Interpretation

Medical Documentation for Hardship Waiver

Date Published: November 15, 2000

The subcommittee confi rmed that the medical documentation required to grant a hardship waiver must come from a physician (i.e., a

medical doctor) who administered care at the time of the injury or illness. It noted that documentation from an individual other than a

physician (e.g., chiropractor, physical therapist) only may be used to support the physician’s documentation.

Syracuse University

Office of Athletic Compliance

Manley Field House

Syracuse, NY 13244-5020