CMU's NCAA wavier approved, will remain FBS compliant
The Central Michigan Football Team enters Kelly/Shorts Stadium to play against Northern Illinois Nov. 2.
Central Michigan will remain compliant to the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision through the 2021-22 school year.
According to NCAA Bylaw 20.9.9.1, a school must sponsor at least 16 sports and six of those sports must be a men's sports to remain compliant for the FBS, the NCAA's top rung of football.
After cutting men's track and field in May, the school submitted a waiver to the NCAA to allow the school to remain compliant to the body's requirements of six men's sports. CMU was down to five men's sports when it cut men's track and field.
CMU Athletic Director Michael Alford said in a statement the waiver has been granted for the 2020-21 and the 2021-22 academic years.
"We continue to research and determine the best course of action to return the department to full compliance," Alford said in the statement. "I want to thank the NCAA staff for making this an efficient process and for understanding the difficult decisions the COVID-19 pandemic has forced our department to make. As I have said throughout this process, through my various conversations I felt confident that everyone involved was understanding about our current financial situation and we look forward to returning to full compliance."
CMU must add another men's sport by 2022 to remain FBS compliant.
