The Big Ten moved Tuesday to block its member schools from adding football players who attempt to return to college after entering the NFL ranks.
Under the newly approved policy, any player who declared for the NFL Draft and failed to withdraw, spent any time on an NFL roster, or signed a professional contract will be ineligible to compete for a Big Ten program. Sources confirmed to ESPN that Big Ten athletic directors approved the measure unanimously. Programs found “in violation of the rule would be subject to its head coach being suspended for 50 percent of its remaining games plus an undisclosed fine,” according to the report.
The conference publicly confirmed the decision in a Tuesday announcement.
“The Big Ten Conference announced Tuesday the unanimous adoption of a conference rule to prohibit football players who have signed a professional contract, were on a professional roster at any point, or declared for the NFL Draft as an underclassman without withdrawing, from maintaining eligibility for athletic competition at a conference institution,” the league said.
The Big Ten also signaled that football may not be the only sport affected going forward, adding that “the conference continues to evaluate potential rules restricting professional athletes in other sports from conference competition.”
The decision follows the departures of two NFL players who moved toward joining LSU
ESPN noted that the Big Ten’s action comes shortly after two NFL players — Cleveland’s Dae’Quan Wright and New Orleans’ Zxavian Harris — parted ways with their respective franchises to join Lane Kiffin’s roster at LSU.
Wright and Harris, both of whom previously played for Kiffin at Ole Miss, are seeking a return to college football under a court order that has unsettled NCAA eligibility rules by opening the door to an unexpected fifth year for some athletes. Under that ruling, players may restore their college eligibility if they end their professional contracts and repay any money earned at the pro level, ESPN reported.
The NCAA previously said that the rulings have caused a “destabilizing effect” on college sports, calling on Congress to pass the “Protect College Sports Act and ensure student-athletes can have a level playing field with rules that apply fairly to everyone.
“Courts across the country granting relief to ineligible athletes who already had every opportunity to compete in college — sometimes without even having a hearing — are failing to appreciate the destabilizing effect their rulings are having on college sports,” the NCAA said Tuesday.
“The lawyers bringing these cases seemingly won’t be satisfied until every professional athlete can treat college sports as a fallback option, regardless of the opportunities it strips from both those who will never have a chance to begin their collegiate sports experience and those who are currently on campus working out with the team and attending classes,” the NCAA added.
