AUGUST 26: ACC athletic directors met Wednesday to discuss this issue, Thamel reports, indicating momentum exists for a third FBS power conference to join the Big Ten and SEC on this front. A vote from the ACC board is expected within the next 24 hours.
AUGUST 25: College athletics conferences are taking a stand against players who are trying to go back to the NCAA after signing professional sports contracts this year.
The SEC first voiced its disapproval Monday night, releasing a statement declaring that players who leave the college ranks and sign NFL contracts should not be permitted to return. The Big Ten went a step further on Tuesday, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel, passing a rule that bars players who turned pro via the NFL draft or free agent signing from joining a Big Ten roster.
The SEC has since followed suit, announcing its own ban on athletes who declared for the NFL draft and did not withdraw, signed a contract with an NFL team, or were listed on an NFL roster. The ban applies to football players who signed with other professional football leagues, as well as basketball players who signed with NBA, G-League, and WNBA teams.
“The commissioner is authorized to enforce this expectation with penalties against member institutions,” the statement concluded.
The rule received unanimous approval from the 16 SEC member schools, Thamel adds. That is especially notable since Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, two of the players attempting to return to college after signing with NFL teams, were planning to transfer to LSU. It seems the school has moved to block their arrival despite the recruitment efforts of Tigers head football coach Lane Kiffin.
If the last few years of chaos in collegiate athletics are any indication, the rulings from the Big Ten and the SEC are unlikely to be the end of the matter. The Sun Belt, for example, instituted its own ban on Tuesday night, per On3’s Pete Nakos, with other conferences likely contemplating their own policies.
The affected athletes are also considering their options, including potential legal challenges. Ryan Downton, who represents Wright, Harris, and several other players in a Louisiana case, challenged the conferences’ ability to “blatantly violate court orders” and called out the NCAA for allowing it, according to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger. Downton further characterized the Big Ten and SEC bans as “cartel-like coordination with the NCAA” and said that the players’ legal teams are working on “the appropriate legal response.”
At the moment, NFL teams seem inclined to waive players like Wright and Harris – who were not making a 53-man roster anyway – and stay out of the NCAA’s growing mess. A few coaches have already been asked about the unprecedented situation, with Ravens head coach Jesse Minter calling it “crazy” but noting that teams and players are simply trying to do the best things for themselves.
Sean McVay had a more succinct response: “I feel like I took a gummy.”
But the NFL can only keep the situation at arm’s length for so long. In fact, there may be nothing to stop Wright and Harris from finishing their college seasons and immediately re-signing in the pros. Veteran NFL reporter Charles Robinson notes that those players will have to re-enter the draft, but, neither the CBA nor other existing NFL policy clearly governs the situation. The league will need to develop a clear policy regarding players who signed with NFL teams, returned to college, and then attempt to turn pro a second time.
