OSU Players Trade Tattoos for Autographs
Extra benefit are always a hot topic, both to control and to monitor. As I have no doubt told everyone multiple times this semester, extra benefits come in all shapes and sizes- it does not have to be something tangible like money, cars or clothes. Extra benefits are covered by NCAA Bylaw 16.11.2.1, which states that an extra benefit is "any special arrangement" to receive an unauthorized benefit. In this case, it would appear that whomever these student-athletes are used their reputation as football players to score some free tattoos- which would then be an extra benefit, and would likely require reinstatement.
Just as a final note, extra benefits cases have lead to major violations in the past and are not something to just brush off. A few years back at the University of Wisconsin there was a major violation involving a large number of student-athletes who received free or reduced cost clothing/shoes at a local sporting goods store.
Here is the NCAA's official statement on the case and the reinstatement of the five student-athletes:
NCAA's Statement on OSU case
As you can read in the statement, there is a standard penalty (Four games or 30% suspension) for student-athletes receiving extra benefits of a certain value ($1,000 to $2,500 in this case). However, the Reinstatement committee also showed that they have some leeway in these cases based on mitigating circumstances. In this case, they added a fifth game to the suspensions because the student-athlete's did not initially come forward and acknowledge the improper benefits following a rules education session. Another interesting example because you see how there can be both a prescribed penalty and still have the flexibility to add on additional sanctions if necessary.
