Big Ten and SEC Ban NFL Players From Returning; Court Orders Threaten Enforcement
The Big Ten voted unanimously on Tuesday to prohibit football players with NFL contracts or professional roster experience from competing in college, followed by an SEC ban that same evening covering football and basketball. The rules face immediate legal pressure from players who secured a Louisiana court order last week allowing NFL-affiliated athletes to return.
Who this affects
Quoted from the advisory linked below. The desk does not restate it.
- Affected
- 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
- Fixed in
- Players who completed four years and whose names were entered into the draft through the automatic entry process—and not drafted—are still eligible. Players in this scenario who then participated only in rookie mini-camp tryouts, held in the first two weekends after the NFL Draft, but didn't ultimately sign with a team, are also still eligible.
- What to do
- maintain eligibility for athletic competition at a conference institution
The Big Ten voted unanimously on Tuesday to prohibit football players who have signed professional contracts, appeared on professional rosters at any point, or declared for the NFL Draft as underclassmen without withdrawing from maintaining eligibility for college competition. On Tuesday night, the SEC announced a similar policy, extending the ban to men's and women's basketball players attempting to return from the NBA or WNBA.
The SEC's rule prohibits teams from including players who did not appropriately withdraw from the NFL, NBA, or WNBA Drafts, or who signed contracts with professional football leagues, the NBA, WNBA, or G-League affiliates, or who appeared on professional rosters. The SEC can impose penalties on member institutions that sign ineligible players.
The Big Ten's rule carves out two categories: players who completed four years through automatic entry into the draft but were not selected remain eligible, as do players who participated only in rookie mini-camp tryouts held in the first two weekends after the NFL Draft without signing a contract.
The ACC and Big 12 are reportedly in similar conversations about implementing comparable bans, according to Front Office Sports. The American conference is also considering a conference-wide prohibition.
The rule changes follow a Louisiana state court decision last week. A judge granted a temporary restraining order allowing a group of players who participated in NFL training camp and preseason to return to college, stipulating that they terminate any professional contracts and return earnings from their time on NFL rosters. Plaintiffs in that lawsuit include tight end Dae'Quan Wright, waived by the Cleveland Browns; Wydett Williams Jr., who suited up for the Arizona Cardinals; Anthony Hankerson, who played for the Seattle Seahawks; and Jack Pyburn, who played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Louisiana order creates a direct conflict with the conference bans now in place. Wright has secured a deal to play for LSU this fall and would become the first player to move from NFL preseason games to a college roster. Zxavian Harris, Wright's former Ole Miss teammate, was signed by the Saints this summer but injured and never participated in preseason; he was waived on August 8 and has since signed with LSU. Attorney Darren Heitner, part of Wright's representation, stated that Wright "is not only allowed to play, but must be allowed to play" based on the court order, directly contradicting the SEC's new rule.
The NCAA issued a statement saying courts granting relief to ineligible athletes are failing to appreciate the destabilizing effect on college sports. LSU coach Lane Kiffin defended the signings, stating that because of the court rulings, the players will either compete for LSU or elsewhere, so LSU chose to recruit them. A hearing for a full injunction in the Louisiana case is scheduled for August 31, the same day all NFL teams must cut rosters from 90 to 53 players, potentially triggering more returns to college and legal action.
Between the time the restraining order was granted and the following Monday morning, Heitner fielded inquiries from at least a dozen players or their representatives about filing similar lawsuits, per Front Office Sports.
The Big Ten's rule prohibits football players who have signed professional contracts, appeared on professional rosters, or declared for the NFL Draft as underclassmen without withdrawing; the SEC extends the ban to basketball and the NBA and WNBA.
The Big Ten and SEC have issued eligibility bans effective immediately, but they collide head-on with a Louisiana court order that explicitly allows certain NFL-affiliated players to return. The full injunction hearing on August 31 will test whether conference rules can withstand judicial orders, and the August 31 NFL roster cutdown will likely generate more players seeking court relief to play college football.
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Sources
Single-source report. As published, only frontofficesports.com had reported this development. No independent outlet had corroborated it.
Also reported by NBC News, Yahoo Sports, Fox News, Front Office Sports. Independent coverage of the same development, found by search; not this story's sources.
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