The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) will return to its pre-pandemic rule of not allowing student-athletes to play in professional leagues as they will disallow the use of the Games and Amusements Board's 'special guest license' (SGL).
Back in 2020, GAB implemented the SGL for student-athletes who want to play in professional leagues without losing their amateur status, as long as they ask permission from the proper authorities.
Players such as Arellano University's Shane Menina and Colegio de San Juan de Letran's Kurt Reyson were among those who played under the SGL rule.
NCAA Management Committee member Peter Cayco said disallowing the use of SGL is one of the policies they will reimplement by June or come Season 100.
"This is not new. This was the existing rule of the NCAA, pre-pandemic," Cayco told GMA News Online during the Arellano Chiefs' visit to GMA Network on Thursday for the GMA Masterclass.
"During the pandemic, we saw the need for the players, student-athletes to hone up the skills and even elevate it. We sat down with GAB and we were able to come up with this SGL—the special guest player license. This allows student-athletes to play in professional leagues without losing their amateur status."
However, Cayco said since sports is also returning to normal, the NCAA will also lift the said rule imposed during the pandemic.
Aside from the rule on SGL, the league also said it will revert the student-athletes' passing rate to 60%.
"Now, I think we can safely say that we are back to normal so the NCAA is lifting now the pandemic rule and going back to the original NCAA rule which is the passing grades would now be back to 60 percent from 50 and they will no longer be allowed to use the SGL," he said.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
