A few days before the NCAA Constitutional Convention, a reform group called the Knight Commission is making one more push for “systemic change” in the NCAA.

It has a track record of making forceful recommendations the NCAA doesn’t ignore: Most recently, the NCAA has announced it’s considering eliminating standardized testing from eligibility and designating a Senior Minority Administrator.

In a press conference yesterday, it pushed its plan for a financial structure that would change the landscape of NCAA allocation: the C.A.R.E. model.

• The C.A.R.E. model would change how the NCAA and Division I schools use the billions they generate — prioritizing education over ones “associated with seeking competitive advantages,” the report said.
• It suggests freeing up current funds by creating conference-wide caps on spending for a particular sport or a “luxury tax” on coaching salaries, and redirecting them to improving the athlete experience.
• Though the College Football Playoff operates separately from the NCAA, the Commission called on it to adopt the C.A.R.E. model, too — and even suggested it halt expansion talks until it commits.

This is hardly the only recommendation the Commission wants NCAA members to discuss, however. It also suggested adding more “independent” members to NCAA governing committees and giving athletes more voting power. 

And last December, it even said that FBS football should break away from the NCAA entirely — though it gave less weight to this radical idea at yesterday’s presser.

The common theme among all of its suggestions? Enhancing athlete-specific goals like education and gender equity.

The Knight Commission sees an opportunity to implement the C.A.R.E. model based on language in the NCAA constitution draft and outside support.

The Commission noted the draft includes the same principles as the C.A.R.E. model. But “the problem has been that the principles have not been fully put into practice,” CEO Amy Perko told reporters.

More importantly, if adopted, the draft also gives Division I the actual power to reorganize its budget — so the idea comes just in time. 

On top of that, the model has momentum.

• Twenty-one Olympic sports coaches’ associations — part of the Intercollegiate Coaches Association Coalition — have endorsed the model. 
• The NCAA’s Gender Equity Review pointed out that the current Division I revenue distribution model doesn’t support gender equity — a belief the C.A.R.E. model echoes.
• “The C.A.R.E. model addresses the concerns we repeatedly hear from Congress, state lawmakers, and from the public,” former U.S. Secretary of Education and Knight Commission co-chair Arne Duncan said.

One potential caveat? Similar measures have been struck down by courts — such as the NCAA’s attempt decades ago to put a ceiling on coaching salaries.

Ultimately, it’s up to the membership to see whether the idea — or anything like it — makes it into the final copy. At Monday’s Constitutional Convention, the discussion continues.