Jun 10, 2025; Eugene, OR, USA; A NCAA logo flag at the NCAA Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Last week, the NCAA approved a rule change that would allow both student-athletes and college sports staffers to bet on professional sports. Previously, athletes and staffers were barred from participating in sports betting in any form.

However, the implementation of that policy has now been delayed. On Tuesday, the NCAA announced that the policy will go into effect on Nov. 22, three weeks after it was initially slated to become policy on Nov. 1.

The decision came the same day that SEC commissioner Greg Sankey sent a letter to NCAA President Charlie Baker urging the organization to rescind the policy.

Here's what Sankey wrote, per ESPN's Heather Dinich.

"On behalf of our universities, I write to urge action by the NCAA Division I Board of Directors to rescind this change and reaffirm the Association's commitment to maintaining strong national standards that keep collegiate participants separated from sports wagering activity at every level," Sankey wrote. "If there are legal or practical concerns about the prior policy, those should be addressed through careful refinement -- not through wholesale removal of the guardrails that have long supported the integrity of games and the well-being of those who participate."

There have also been other potential complicating factors regarding the NCAA's decision to implement the policy. Just a day after the policy change was approved, the NBA was rocked by a gambling scandal that led to the arrest of Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, who allegedly participated in an illegal sports betting scheme.

Now, the NCAA is putting the brakes on. While the policy is still set to go into effect later next month, NCAA rules allow a rule change to be rescinded within 30 days of being finalized, provided two-thirds of a division's membership submits an online request in favor of removing the change.

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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: NCAA pushes back start date for legal pro sports betting

Reporting by Tyler Nettuno, College Sports Wire / College Sports Wire

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