NCAA to allow social justice messages on uniforms

The NCAA will allow student-athletes to wear patches on their uniforms and change their nameplates for commemorative and memorial purposes, as well as to support social justice issues, the governing body announced Thursday.

Players can replace the nameplates on the backs of their jerseys with text "intended to celebrate or memorialize people, events, or other causes," the NCAA said.

Patches on the front of uniforms, which some but not all sports already permitted, must not exceed 2 1/4 square inches and can be placed on the front or sleeve of the uniform. They must be identical across the team, though not all team members are obligated to wear them.

The nameplate changes and patches must be authorized by the individual school or conference.

The news comes as the NCAA continues to work on a plan to reform its name, image, and likeness (NIL) rules. Those changes are not expected to be finalized until after the 2020-21 academic year.

While some smaller conferences suspended fall sports this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, other larger ones, such as the ACC, have announced their intentions to go ahead with a football season.