Nevada Lawmakers Seek Limits on NCAA : Athletics: They introduce legislation in U.S. House to ensure due process for college players and coaches.

A bill that would require the NCAA to provide due process to college players and coaches was introduced by Nevada lawmakers last week in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The bill, called the Coach and Athlete’s Bill of Rights, is the outgrowth of the NCAA’s July 20 ruling that barred Nevada Las Vegas’ defending national champion basketball team from postseason play next season.

Under legislation introduced by Nevada Sens. Harry Reid and Richard Bryan, and Rep. Jim Bilbray, the NCAA would be subject to the laws and procedures of the state in which the affected college or university is located.

An NCAA spokesman could not be reached for comment.

Due process was a key issue in a 13-year legal battle between UNLV Coach Jerry Tarkanian and the NCAA.

The NCAA placed UNLV on two years’ probation in 1977 for a series of violations and also ordered the school to suspend Tarkanian from coaching for two years--the only coach ordered suspended by the NCAA.

The university served its probation from 1977-79, but Tarkanian obtained a state court injunction and continued coaching, successfully arguing that he was not afforded due process before the suspension was ordered.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in December of 1988 that the NCAA is a private agency and not required to provide due process. However, the same ruling said universities are public institutions and did have to provide due process to coaches.

Reid said the NCAA has had the power to “declare players and coaches guilty until proven innocent,” and called such power “completely contrary to every due process principle of American law.”

Bryan said UNLV players and fans were dealt with unfairly by the NCAA. He said the proposed law would ensure that the NCAA conducts its affairs honestly.

Bilbray is a former student body president at UNLV.