The NCAA is now granting all division one and two schools the choice whether to give their spring athletes another year of eligibility due to COVID-19's effect on their careers.
In Springfield, the University of Illinois Springfield's athletic director Peyton Deterding said the division two school has already granted their spring athletes permission to come back for an extra year.
But that is just the tip of the iceberg for the teams and athletes.
At the division two level, sports don't give full scholarships to everybody, they give partials.
So where will the money come from when there are incoming freshman as well as extra seniors on the team?
Deterding said UIS will pay the seniors scholarships out of pocket if they decide to stay for their extra year and it won't effect the normal scholarship pool.
Head baseball coach Ryan Copeland said there are other problems like playing time and transfers for current players.
But, overall, the NCAA made the right decision by the kids, he said.
This story appeared online on WICS Newschannel 20 on March 31, 2020.
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