[Briggs Suspended For Three Games]

A couple of brats at a neighborhood back yard cookout with neighbors which includes hockey players who live in the neighborhood is NOT a violation of NCAA rules. (See bolded statement.) If the hosts charged all the neighbors a cover charge and made them pay for their food and drink to attend but exempted the hockey players that would be a violation of NCAA rules.

I know you were joking but this brings up a very good point! In order to protect themselves from committing an NC$$ violation, the student athlete has to be very careful about what they can accept from fans and friends. Having someone buy you a drink or accepting a simple little birthday or Christmas gift can be a violation. I understant that before a little cookout that includes student athletes can actually occur there are a lot of phone calls to 'officials' for clarification, permission, etc. that take place before the actual event. If you want to include a student athlete to pretty much anything, be prepared to spend a lot of time on the phone. You also want to protect the student athlete from unwittingly committing a violation.

AND there is the 'infrequent meal' exemption that PCM ponts out.

One school I know of makes you have a letter on file with the Athletic Dept. if you want to have the players over for an occasional meal. And it clearly states that "occasional" does not mean weekly. They give you all the info on what is and is not acceptable. So, you have to have approval from the University first before you can have players over for a meal.

[Briggs Suspended For Three Games]

[Briggs Suspended For Three Games]

[Briggs Suspended For Three Games]

You are correct that many or even most did. But at least one of the biggest continues to spin it that way.

The last article published in the paper said this: