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"The reality is that it does keep us a little bit ahead of the curve, for now," Hickey said.
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The all-or-nothing approach wasn't the only one under initial consideration. The Ivy League made two proposals -- one that would have limited text messaging and another that called for an outright ban. The first measure failed in January.
Implementing the ban could cause other problems. Hickey anticipates some coaches will cry foul and acknowledges enforcement could be the next great challenge.
"I think it will be as difficult as any other rule we have where there's a limited ability to track it," she said. "It's as difficult as the phone call rule and the recruiting days rule. The key with rules like this is education and trust, and not only educating the coaches but the student-athletes, scholastic coaches and parents."
While the text messaging ban was this week's hot topic, it wasn't the only major change passed by Hickey's committee.
It also passed a proposal that would allow college athletes to try out for professional teams while still taking classes. The current rules prohibit student-athletes from trying out while still enrolled in school. The new measure would allow athletes to receive money from pro teams to make a 48-hour trip. Or they could also pay the bill themselves and not be bound by the time limit.
The stipulation: An athlete could not miss classes for the tryout.
"We're saying we can have a little bit of a compromise," Hickey said. "You don't have to drop out of school just to try out. You could stay in school and continue to be a student."
