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Student-athletes shall not sell, trade or upgrade any item they receive due to their participation in athletics.
Who May Receive Awards -- All members of a team may receive participation awards and special attainment awards (i.e., scholar-athlete, team leader award). However, only student-athletes who were eligible to compete in conference, NCAA or other post-season tournaments or events may receive awards in conjunction with those events.
Awards for Participation in Special Events -- NCAA rules permit the management of an established meet or tournament and/or the institution to provide an award or combination of awards to student-athletes, not to exceed $350 in value. For example, if the Rutgers wrestling team was participating in a holiday meet, it would be permissible to provide the participating student-athletes with an award such as a winter coat whose value is less than $350.
Value of Awards -- Only retail value may be used in calculating the value of an award provided to a student-athlete, even if the awards were received free of charge or at a reduced price. However, if a vendor offers a volume discount that is offered to all purchasers of similar volume, the value of the award may be based on the discounted price.
Student-Athlete Contributing to Award Purchase -- Student-athletes are prohibited from contributing money, even voluntarily, to cover the cost of an award.
Combining Awards -- All awards must be treated independently. Thus, it would not be permissible to combine the value of a $325 participation award with a $175 MVP award to purchase a $500 award for a student-athlete.
Uniformity of Awards -- NCAA rules require that all awards provided to members of a team be uniform. One exception to this rule allows more than one type of award to be provided to groups of student-athletes within a team (i.e., all seniors get rings, all underclassmen get watches).
Game balls -- It is permissible to provide a game ball or other memento of nominal value (e.g., t-shirt, hat, etc.) to a student-athlete in recognition of an accomplishment in a particular contest or event as a benefit incidental to participation.
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