Hawaii coach takes to Twitter regarding OSU recruitment materials, spring game invitations

The Oregon State University Athletics Department has been accused by University of Hawaii head coach, Nick Rolovich, of trying to recruit Hawaii football players on Friday, a violation of NCAA regulations.

In a tweet that has since been deleted, Rolovich claims OSU sent recruitment material and invitations to players on the Hawaii football team for last Saturday’s Spring game.

“Oregon State Athletics and head coach Jonathan Smith became aware of unintentional mailings directed at a University of Hawai’i student-athlete this morning. We are committed to following NCAA rules and are looking into this matter fully,” said Steve Fenk, OSU Associate Athletic Director, said via email.

According to the NCAA website, recruiting current student-athletes is prohibited. The NCAA requires written permission from a player’s institution before another program can reach out.

“The NCAA prohibits contact between coaches and student-athletes on other teams to prevent continuous recruiting of student-athletes,” said the organization on its website. “The NCAA and its members believe this runs contrary to our mission, which is to govern competition in a fair, safe, equitable and sportsmanlike manner and to integrate intercollegiate athletics into higher education so that the educational experience of the student-athlete is paramount.”

Hawaii and OSU are set to play against each other in Hawaii on Sept. 7, 2019, followed by a game at OSU Sept. 11, 2021.

The Barometer will update this story as more information becomes available.