The ACC and Big 12 are reportedly considering a ban on former professional players who want to return to play for a school in the conference, while the Big Ten is expected to set a policy on Tuesday that will forbid its schools from doing so.
The decision comes after the reports that Dae'Quan Wright of the Cleveland Browns and Zxavian Harris of the New Orleans Saints are leaving their respective NFL teams to play for LSU. Both Wright and Harris played for Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss.
Kiffin defended courting pro players while being careful not to confirm any new signings, saying, "either going to play for you or they're going to play for someone else around the country."
SEC presidents met virtually on Monday to support opposition to professional players coming back to play in college. In a statement, they emphasized that "College athletes, not former professional athletes, have been at the heart of the Southeastern Conference." The statement also read, "Individuals who choose to leave college athletics, sign professional playing contracts, and compete professionally should not then be permitted to return to college competition."
SEC university presidents are expected to inform their athletic departments against adding such players to their teams. This move could lead to a unified front among the Power Five conferences in opposing the practice.
The ban could also open the conferences up to additional legal action and may put the leagues at the center of new lawsuits, according to Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger. Conferences will likely be sued by athletes as defendants in separate lawsuits or added as defendants in existing lawsuits, many times in front of the same judges.
If the conferences agree on a ban, they'd also need to determine the penalties for playing an ineligible player. League-wide rules do not absolve a conference from legal challenges, Dellenger noted.
The development is expected to have significant implications for the future of college football. The NCAA has been at the center of several high-profile lawsuits in recent years, and the Power Five conferences' move could shift the focus to the conferences themselves.
With the Big Ten expected to set a policy on Tuesday, it remains to be seen how the other conferences will proceed. The ACC and Big 12 are reportedly considering a ban, but it's unclear if they will follow through. The SEC has already taken a strong stance against the practice, and it's possible that the other conferences will follow suit.
Source: Yahoo Sports