INDIANAPOLIS – Mark Emmert is willing to help colleges and universities do a better job protecting minors on campus.
In the wake of two disturbing child sexual abuse allegations in the past month, the NCAA president said Monday he has contacted U.S. Education Secretary Arnie Duncan so he can advise school leaders about the best practices in dealing with ball boys, ball girls and students who attend summer camps.
“We’re looking into that right now,” Emmert told The Associated Press. “Because we’ve never been involved with this kind of thing before, we’re trying to determine what is the best thing to do.”
Emmert did not provide specific details on what those guidelines may include, how extensive they could be or when they might be completed.
No, Emmert does not intend to add the guidelines to the massive 400-plus-page rule book, but he wants to prevent future improprieties from occurring and to find out if there is a pervasive culture within athletic departments that could lead to cover-ups of criminal conduct.
“When you have a veil of secrecy, you have the potential for abusive behavior whether it’s in the Catholic Church, a school or whatever, and that applies to all of us, not just the NCAA,” Emmert told reporters in Indianapolis.
Penn State already has said it is considering a change to its school policy, too.
