Being the first men’s athlete in MIAC history to win four conference cross country titles, Mohammed Bati had built one of the most accomplished résumés in Augsburg University history. Since arriving in 2023, he has kept raising the bar for what a Division III distance runner could look like. But that historic run ended abruptly when an NCAA ruling removed him from competition before the indoor and outdoor track seasons began.

The reason? He accepted around $6,000 from his community last semester to help cover his tuition while studying nursing. Division III rules don’t allow its amateur athletes to get outside financial help for tuition or extra benefits, as they don’t comply with the NCAA’s branding or sponsorship policies.

“I don’t think some NCAA rules are fair to everyone,” the 26-year-old Ethiopian star wrote in his statement. “Last semester, I was struggling a lot with money. I didn’t want to drop out or stop going to school, and the community around me came together to support me.

“The NCAA saw that support and said it was a violation. Because of that, I can’t run indoor or outdoor this year. They said someone paying for my school breaks the rule. I understand that’s their rule, but I don’t think they look at the story behind it. Sometimes people get help because life is hard. Not everyone has money,” Bati added.

Since joining Augsburg in 2023, Bati has been unstoppable, winning 19 out of 28 cross-country races. He even became the first Auggie to be named Division III Men’s Cross Country National Athlete of the Week by the USTFCCCA. Despite his achievements, the NCAA has now blocked this track and field star from competing this year for breaking its Division. III amateurism rules.

“Division III student-athletes compete not for financial reward, but quite simply, for the love of the game. Division III student-athletes are fueled by passion. They strive to do their best on the field and in the classroom because they realize the value in athletics lies beyond a scoreboard,” reads the NCAA’s description of Division III.

But track and field fans argue that the application of amateurism rules to Bati, who was only trying to remain enrolled in school, is unfair, especially when compared to other divisions or NFL and NBA draftees who are permitted financial support and endorsements, with D-1 schools even bending the rules at times.

Fans slam NCAA for banning track and field star

One track and field fan added, “NCAA doesn’t care about its athletes.” Another added, “The NCAA cares more about $6K going to a genuinely good person than hundreds of people losing their roster spots & corrupt administration 🤣.”

Another incensed fan wrote, “While NBA draftees make college rosters and revenue sport athletes rake in millions of dollars, the NCAA has decided to ban a D3 runner for accepting help from his community to pay his own tuition,” while another pointed out: “Football players are getting stupid money from NIL…”

Some Division I athletes can earn NIL income worth hundreds of thousands or even millions while schools share athletic department revenue directly with players. For example, NFL hopeful and Texas Longhorns quarterback, Arch Manning, has an NIL value of $5.3 million. Similarly, NBA draft prospect AJ Dybantsa reportedly has $4.4 million in NIL earnings.

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With that kind of money already in college sports, blocking a Division III athlete from competing over $6,000 was viewed as counterintuitive. And while Bati could technically earn money from an NIL deal, Division III athletes have significantly fewer NIL opportunities. This combined with the fact that Bati received no competitive or athletic advantage from the $6,000, meant the whole situation didn’t sit well with fans at all.

However, those who uphold the ruling say that Division III regulations were intended to maintain a fair level of competition, and it would not create a culture of pay to play.

One more track and field fan added, “Just another example of how “rules” increasingly exist only to punish honest and decent people in 2025…”Another added, “So ridiculous rule.”

For an athlete who moved from Ethiopia to the U.S. in 2018 to chase better opportunities, it’s a heartbreaking end to his college track career. A nursing major, Bati worked hard to balance school, training, and his job as a nursing aide, often working overnight, five days a week, at an assisted living facility, just to make ends meet.

Nevertheless, this season Bati won his third All-American award by placing second at the NCAA Division III Championships in 23:39.6, setting the school record by 15 seconds. Earlier this month, he ran a 2:12 at the California International Marathon, earning a spot in the 2028 Olympic Marathon Trials.

As one fan summed up: “Guy works graveyard shifts at an assisted living center to pay tuition, places 2nd in the country at the NCAA D3 Cross Country National Championship, and even makes the Olympic marathon trials with a 2:12. NCAA boots him because a community fundraiser helps him with tuition.”

The ban hurts not only Bati, but also the team’s team standings as well as their NPI (National Performance Index) Values. However, though nothing has been confirmed, Bati will have the option to appeal the decision.