What distinguishes redshirt status from a medical hardship year?

• A. Redshirt preserves a year of eligibility within a season of competition; medical hardship may allow reinstatement of a season if criteria are met.
• B. Redshirt means you lose a year of eligibility; medical hardship ends eligibility entirely.
• C. They are the same thing.
• D. Medical hardship always eliminates a season even if criteria are met.

Answer: (A)

Redshirt status and a medical hardship year both affect how a season counts toward a student-athlete’s eligibility, but they operate in different ways. Redshirting is a planned approach: you practice with the team but do not compete in official games for that season, so that season doesn’t consume one of your allotted seasons of competition. You still have your remaining eligibility to use in future seasons.

A medical hardship year is an exception granted because of injury or illness. If you meet the necessary criteria, that season may not count toward your eligibility, and in many cases you can continue with an additional season or have the season effectively reinstated under the rules.

So, the distinction is that redshirting is a proactive, eligibility-preserving choice by not competing, while a medical hardship year is a rare, injury-based exception that can allow you to recover or extend eligibility if approved.