NCAA Participant Approval Program for Coaches

General Information:

Coaches
All individuals who engage in coaching activities at an NCAA-certified event must be approved through the NCAA Participant Approval Program administered by LexisNexis prior to participation. Event operators are instructed to require coaches to show a State or US Government issued picture ID during their event check-in procedures to ensure that only approved coaches are granted the ability to participate.

NCAA coaches who are employed at an event (which are limited due to other legislative restrictions) are not required to complete this process, but all other individuals, including but not limited to nonscholastic, AAU, club, high school, junior college, preparatory school coaches and NCAA student-athletes involved in coaching activities, are required to obtain the requisite approval.

Application Process:
The participant approval process involves an application, verification of criminal background and authorization for release of information. The entire process may be accessed and completed through the NCAA basketball certification Web site and takes approximately three to seven days to complete the background check.

To apply: NCAA Participant Approval Process [Note: If you are submitting an application, you will always need to use the New Applicant button. The Returning Applicant button can only be utilized to check the status of a current application OR to obtain the approval number for an application that is not expired. All individuals submitting an application will use the New Applicant button even if they have filed an application in the past.]

If the applicant has questions concerning the process, please contact the LexisNexis NCAA Support team at 866-777-1979 or e-mail employment.support@lexisnexis.com.

Only NCAA-approved coaches should be allowed to sit on the team bench during an NCAA certified event.

NCAA staff cannot waive the participant approval requirements. Nor can the NCAA staff allow an operator or coach to participate prior to being issued a Participant Approval number from LexisNexis. Additionally, if the individual is working with LexisNexis to resolve a dispute with the background check, the NCAA staff cannot grant approval for that person to operate a certified event or league or to coach in an NCAA-certified event prior to the dispute being completely resolved and the applicant's background check being cleared by LexisNexis Compliance and determined to warrant an approval. In that regard, it is in the applicant's best interest to not procrastinate.

International Applicants:
If you are an applicant from outside the United States, while you may complete the application online, you must also fax a consent form to the LexisNexis Global Screening Team. A signed copy of your consent form will need to be faxed to 1-770-753-1026 immediately after order submission to minimize any delays. This consent form will be e-mailed to you from LexisNexis, but you may also download it here and send it prior to receiving that e-mail if you want to expedite the processing of you application. LEXISNEXIS - Fax Cover and Consent Form for INTL Applicants

Duration of Approval:
The LexisNexis approval issued is good for a two-year period. The "two years" is applied as the year in which the approval is granted and the following year. The "two years" is not a literal two years from the specific date the approval was issued. For example, if approval is granted on July 3, 2009, that approval will be effective for the remainder of 2009 and will expire December 31, 2010. LexisNexis will send an e-mail reminder when expiration is approaching.

Approval Verified by NCAA (previously BBCS Approved)

The Approval Verified by NCAA (previously BBCS Approved) in the Basketball Certification System is NOT an indication as to whether or not the individual actually has an approval. Instead, this field is an indication as to whether the NCAA staff has verified that the individual is approved. The Approval Verified by NCAA field is manually updated by NCAA staff once they have confirmed that the individual has an approval. This is done as a courtesy to event operators to eliminate some of the work involved in verifying coaches. If a "YES" appears, operators can allow the individual to coach without doing anything because the NCAA staff has already verified him/her. If a "NO" appears, the individual may have an approval, but the operator will need to confirm that by checking the list of approved coaches prior to allowing him/her to participate. BE AWARE - This is NOT an automated process. An individual could have been approved by LexisNexis and still have an indication of NO in the BBCS. The LexisNexis list of approved operators and coaches IS automated and once approved the individuals name will appear on the LexisNexis list immediately.

Use the following links for assistance:

• Checking Coaches for Individual Events
• Checking Coach for Team Events

Restrictions:
Individuals convicted of a violent felony are prohibited from receiving a participant approval number from LexisNexis and will not be permitted to operate or coach at an NCAA certified event/league. Individuals convicted of a non-violent felony would be eligible to receive a participant approval number from LexisNexis if, and only if, the charge is older than seven years. If an individual has been denied previously for the reason of an open felony case, the applicant is eligible to re-apply if the felony case is closed as the result of dismissal, acquittal, nolle pros, or if the charge level was assigned to a misdemeanor or lower. (There are other exceptions, but all must be reviewed by LexisNexis and the NCAA).

The following guidelines are utilized by LexisNexis to determine whether an individual is approved or denied:

Violent Crimes (violent crime against a person) per NCAA include the following:

• • Bodily injury;
  • Drug delivery or traffic;
  • Armed;
  • Use of gun;
  • All assaults;
  • Sexual misconduct or assaults;
  • Listed on a sex offenders list; and
  • Robbery (armed or unarmed) - taking of another property, from his or her person or immediate presence and against his or her will, by means of force or fear.

The following charges will result in a denial regardless of the timeframe unless expunged or pardoned by a state or judicial government:

• • Any felony charge for Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Sell or Distribute
  • Any felony charge involving a weapon of any kind, including but not limited to possession of a weapon or any charge including a weapon

 

Non-Violent Crimes per NCAA include the following:

• • All misdemeanor crimes.
  • Felony cases that have been charged as:
    • Theft/burglary - Movable property (a person is guilty of theft if he/she unlawfully takes or exercises unlawful property over movable property of another with purpose to deprive him/her thereof.);
    • Larceny; and
    • Obtaining property by fraud or deceit.
  • Felony cases that have been closed due to:
    • Dismissal;
    • Acquittal;
    • Nolle pros; or
    • Charge plead to a misdemeanor.

Non-violent crimes are reviewed by the NCAA prior to approval or denial.

 

Active Criminal Cases:

• • Within the seven year time period – deny.
  • Previous to seven year time period:
    • Violent crimes - deny;
    • Non-violent crimes:
      • Run county (seven year search) - approve if clear.

Please note, this information is intended to provide guidance to a potential applicant and not intended to be an exhaustive listing of the crimes that would and would not enable an applicant to receive a coaches' approval number.

Disputes:
If there is a criminal dispute cleared or the applicant believes that they were falsely denied an approval based on false information or a case of mistaken identity, the applicant should contact the LexisNexis Consumer Disclosure Department at 800-845-6004.

Until LexisNexis Compliance has resolved the dispute and an applicant's background check remains in violation of the approval criteria, the applicant remains ineligible to operate an event/league or to participate in coaching activities at an NCAA-certified event.

NCAA staff cannot waive the participant approval requirements. Nor can the NCAA staff allow an operator or coach to participate prior to being issued a Participant Approval number from LexisNexis. Additionally, if the individual is working with LexisNexis to resolve a dispute with the background check, the NCAA staff cannot grant approval for that person to operate a certified event or league or to coach in an NCAA-certified event prior to the dispute being completely resolved and the applicant's background check being cleared by LexisNexis Compliance and determined to warrant an approval. In that regard, it is in the applicant's best interest to not procrastinate.

Undiscovered Violations:
If an operator or coach is granted an approval based on the conducted background check and information is later discovered that would have warranted a denial had the information appeared on the background check, the participant approval previously granted may be withdrawn. The NCAA staff will contact the operator/coach involved prior to withdrawing the approval and provide the individual an opportunity to dispute the information OR provide documentation that indicates the charges on his/her record do not warrant a denial. If the individual's criminal history is determined to meet the criteria outlined as a restriction, the participant approval for that individual will be revoked and he/she will not be permitted to operate an event/league or to participate in coaching activities at an NCAA-certified event.

Offenses Committed Subsequent to Receipt of Credential:
If a credential for participation was previously granted or is pending, and the applicant is subsequently indicted or charged for any crime not known at the time the previous application was submitted, the applicant must immediately notify the NCAA basketball certification staff. The prior approval or pending application will automatically be suspended, pending resolution of the indictment or charge. Provided that the applicant has notified the NCAA basketball certification staff of the pending adjudication(s), a conviction, adjudication or term of probation imposed under any new indictment or charge, the amended application shall then be reviewed consistent with the criteria set forth.

Operators Responsibilities in Checking Coaches:
As a condition of certification, an event operator is required to verify coaches' approval prior to participation. This requirement applies to both team and individual events/camps.

The NCAA will work to verify coaches so that operators do not have to, but due to procrastination of coaches and volume, all coaches may not be verified prior to your event. If the NCAA has verified the coach, the Approval Verified by NCAA field on the team roster will be manually updated by NCAA staff. This is done as a courtesy to event operators to eliminate some of the work involved in verifying coaches. If a "YES" appears, operators can allow the individual to coach without doing anything because the NCAA staff has already verified him/her. If a "NO" appears, the individual may have an approval, but the operator will need to confirm that by checking the list of approved coaches prior to allowing him/her to participate. BE AWARE - This is NOT an automated process. An individual could have been approved by LexisNexis and still have an indication of NO in the BBCS. The LexisNexis list of approved operators and coaches IS automated and once approved the individuals name will appear on the LexisNexis list immediately. [Note: When rosters are printed or exported the Approval Verified by NCAA column may still be titled BBCS Approved. This is being changed so that all instances will read Approval Verified by NCAA to avoid any confusion.]

If the NCAA has not verified the coach as approved within the Basketball Certification Online System, it is the operator's responsibility to ensure that the individual's name appears on the LexisNexis list of approved coaches. The List of Approved Coaches will no longer appear on the NCAA Web site. In order for an operator to view the LexisNexis List of Approved Coaches, the operator will need to log in to their LexisNexis account. Only individuals who complete the LexisNexis process and indicated that they were an event operator will be able to access the list of approved coaches. Event operators are advised to require coaches to show a State or US Government issued picture ID during their event check-in procedures to ensure that only approved coaches are granted the ability to participate. The List of Approved Coaches will only identify the legal name, city and state of approved coaches; so if the coach is known by another name, IDs may be necessary to be sure that the individual has been cleared for participation.

The coach's ability to produce a receipt or an approval e-mail is not adequate verification of approval. The operator MUST verify that the coach's name is posted on the list of approved coaches of has been verified by NCAA staff. The coaches approval requirement is strictly enforced. Participation of a single unapproved coach will render the event ineligible for certification the following year.

Use the following links for assistance:

• Checking Coaches for Individual Events
• Checking Coach for Team Events

"Prior to" Requirement:
If an activity has received both event and league certification, coaches are required to receive a coaches' approval prior to participating in coaching activities during the July evaluation period.

Non-Prospect Aged Teams:
If an event has been certified but contains younger athlete or adult divisions that will not be observed by NCAA coaches, the coaches of those teams are not required to obtain a coaches approval. The coaches' approval requirement applies only to those teams participating within the certified event.

If a younger team "play up" and will be participating in activities viewable by NCAA coaches, then the coaches of those teams will have to complete the approval process prior to coaching in the event even though the team's athletes are not prospect aged.

Strict Enforcement:
The participant approval requirement is strictly enforced. No individual will be certified to operate an NCAA-certified event or league without an approval. Similarly, any NCAA-certified event that allows the participation of a single unapproved coach will be ineligible for certification the following year.

Additionally, any team that provides false and/or misleading information in the Basketball Certification System (BBCS) or to the NCAA by any means OR purposely violates any of the NCAA's demographic, residency (adjoining state), coaches' approval or other legislated requirements will result in the withdrawal of the coaches' approvals for all coaches associated with that team, which will prohibit those coaches from participating in any coaching activity at any NCAA-certified event for a period of up to five years.

Required Cooperation and Violations of NCAA Legislation:

The NCAA has adopted a policy whereby individuals issued an NCAA participant approval number could be adversely affected if the individual fails to cooperate with the NCAA staff and Eligibility Center staff in an inquiry relating to possible NCAA rules violations beyond the basketball certification rules and policies. Additionally, individuals who violate NCAA legislation could also be affected.

As with the other approval guidelines, if an individual fails to cooperate with the NCAA staff in an inquiry or is an involved participant in a violation of NCAA legislation, his or her approval status could be revoked or denied for up to a five-year period, and there would be no appeal rights for such an action.

For the complete policy, see: Required Cooperation and Violations of NCAA Legislation

 

 

NCAA Participant Approval Program for Coaches.