the BigAmateurism monologues

On August 17, 2022, the NCAA released a statement titled “DI Council reviews transfer proposals.” The Council accepted recommendations from two obscure committees (Independent Accountability Oversight Committee and Infractions Process Committee) to eliminate the Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP). The IARP was a separate infraction and enforcement process for “high stakes” NCAA cases. The Commission on College Basketball—formed in 2017 in response to the basketball-related criminal cases in the Southern District of New York—recommended the IARP as an alternative to the “old” conflict-ridden infractions and enforcement bureaucracy. The IARP was not fully operational until August 2019. The IARP received only six cases (all basketball-related) between March 2020 and February 2021. From its inception, the IARP became the target of criticism from prominent college sports leaders such as Greg Sankey. Sankey argued that cases assigned to the IARP were taking too long. The sports media and NCAA governing board leaders reinforced this narrative. This episode analyzes the IARP and the criticisms that led to its elimination. The death of the IARP is a case study in star chamber NCAA decision-making.