NCAA to allow student-athletes to wear social justice statements on uniforms

The NCAA announced Thursday it will allow student-athletes in all sports to wear social justice statements on their uniforms.

Players will have two places on their jerseys — one on the front and one on the back — to “express support and voice their opinions,” according to a news release.

On the back of uniforms, student-athletes can replace their last name with names or words to celebrate or memorialize people, events or other causes.

On the front or sleeve of uniforms, student-athletes can wear a patch for commemorative and memorial purposes as long as it doesn't exceed 2¼ square inches.

Not all players are required to wear the patch on the front or sleeve, but it must be the same for all team members. The names or words on the back of the uniform can vary by player. Both must be approved by the school or conference.

The expanded rules were approved by the NCAA’s Playing Rules Oversight Panel. According to the news release, some sports previously didn’t allow patches on uniforms — such as mascots, nicknames or logos — while rules in other sports didn’t address the topic.

Professional sports leagues, like the NBA and WNBA, have already started allowing athletes to wear social justice messages on their jerseys.