As a fan of college sports, what's your take on the NCAA threat to NC?

[Oklabama]

Maurice Clarrett did exactly that and was beaten in court by the NFL. But like K2C said, I think 18 year old kids would get killed if they tried to immediately jump to the NFL. Remember, Barry Switzer said the only 2 players he ever saw that could have made the jump from high school to the NFL were Earl Campbell and Marcus Dupree. Another name that was mentioned that could have made the jump was Adrian Peterson. I mean I agree with you WNAS that the NFL shouldn't be able to bar kids like that. But I think most understand that kids would get killed at 18 years old. But you have a point in making kids that do this sign a waiver that they cannot sue or bring any lawsuits if they do get physically impaired. Lol

Also, why would the NFL invest in a football minor league or any other semi-pro farm system as an alternate route for kids who want to skip college, when they already have the perfect setup with how college football is setup today?? The NFL has their cake and eats it too with the current setup.

The NFL may be a dream for the majority of college recruits but even if they could go directly to the pros not many (as in almost zero) would even get a look. So there is no reason to have the current NFL rule disallowing college athletes leaving school after 3 years. It's to the NFL's advantage for these kids to play college ball so teams can evaluate their skills before investing their money. It's all about the money like just about everything in college and professional sports.

 

[JConXtsy]

Maurice Clarrett did exactly that and was beaten in court by the NFL.

In my opinion, his case was misjudged by the Supreme Court of Appeals. They ruled that the CBA between the NFL and the players' union precluded any antitrust laws.
That's stupid. What if the antitrust was collusion between the players' union and the NFL? Wouldn't it behoove current NFL players to keep the talent pool as small as possible by enforcing age/competition requirements?
Maurice made that appeal that the players' union didn't have the right to represent him, but it was struck down blindly.... and errantly in my opinion.

Heck, Mike Williams was on that lawsuit as well, and Pete Carroll himself supported Mike Williams. Once Williams lost the suit, Pete helped Mike petition the NCAA for reinstatement.

Everything that went down just screamed what a fragile fence deal this NFL rule is.

 

[BillyRay]

The NFL may be a dream for the majority of college recruits but even if they could go directly to the pros not many (as in almost zero) would even get a look. So there is no reason to have the current NFL rule disallowing college athletes leaving school after 3 years. It's to the NFL's advantage for these kids to play college ball so teams can evaluate their skills before investing their money. It's all about the money like just about everything in college and professional sports.

I think you are right on the money here Oklabama. Even kids that have a legit future in the NFL, doesn't mean they are NFL ready coming out of high school. Unless it's just a physically gifted freak coming out of high school, I'm with you in that the NFL wouldn't give 99.9% of them a look anyways. High school kids just aren't mature enough physically. So in the end, going the college pipeline is really the only realistic route these kids have. And that means giving up their rights to profit off their own talents while they do it.

 

[BillyRay]

In my opinion, his case was misjudged by the Supreme Court of Appeals. They ruled that the CBA between the NFL and the players' union precluded any antitrust laws.
That's stupid. What if the antitrust was collusion between the players' union and the NFL? Wouldn't it behoove current NFL players to keep the talent pool as small as possible by enforcing age/competition requirements?
Maurice made that appeal that the players' union didn't have the right to represent him, but it was struck down blindly.... and errantly in my opinion.

Heck, Mike Williams was on that lawsuit as well, and Pete Carroll himself supported Mike Williams. Once Williams lost the suit, Pete helped Mike petition the NCAA for reinstatement.

Everything that went down just screamed what a fragile fence deal this NFL rule is.

I didn't really follow that case when it was going on, so I'm not sure how legit the case was or not. But I think it says alot that Clarrett won the initial case before losing it in appeals court. So the fact he even won a judgement in the first place gives WNAS's point alot of validity. And I forgot about the USC WR Williams being on the case.

 

[Oklabama]

Clarrett and Williams should have been allowed to declare themselves eligible for the NFL. If no team drafted them or signed them as a free agent then they made a bad decision because they had forfeited any future college football immediately upon signing with agent. This whole NFL rule issue isn't necessary because teams will decide whether a player is ready to participate in the NFL. I don't know if either of these guys were ready to play pro ball. One has suggested Clarrett wasn't. If so, Clarrett would have made a bad decision if he wanted an education and the team that signed him would have made a bad decision for signing him. That happens on the free market system. I just don't think there needs to be a rule about when a player can declare for the draft even if right out of high school. Not many will because by doing so they lose the opportunity for an education and to develop physically. And there's also the maturity factor as was the case with Marcus.

 

[JConXtsy]

And there's also the maturity factor as was the case with Marcus.

Most 22 - 25 yr old college graduates aren't mature enough to live on their own, but we treat that age and diploma like it's a magic portal. Ritchie Incognito would probably agree with that.

 

[Oklabama]

Most 22 - 25 yr old college graduates aren't mature enough to live on their own, but we treat that age and diploma like it's a magic portal. Ritchie Incognito would probably agree with that.

I understand the financial desire these kids have, but seems to me so many rush it too much. Injuries do occur that sometimes hurts the draft potential and cost them a lot of money, but damn they still get a lot if they are drafted. You really don't need to have millions and millions of dollars to live really, really, really well unless you are too stupid to take care of it. Most of these kids could stay in school and play four years, declare for the draft, and still get a big contract.....and have a chance to sign a even better deal if they perform. And, some college injuries end dreams. But still. Bottom line, professional sports has gotten out of hand with regards to salaries and team net income. Same for college sports. JMO.

 

[JConXtsy]

I understand the financial desire these kids have, but seems to me so many rush it too much. Injuries do occur that sometimes hurts the draft potential and cost them a lot of money, but damn they still get a lot if they are drafted. You really don't need to have millions and millions of dollars to live really, really, really well unless you are too stupid to take care of it. Most of these kids could stay in school and play four years, declare for the draft, and still get a big contract.....and have a chance to sign a even better deal if they perform. And, some college injuries end dreams. But still. Bottom line, professional sports has gotten out of hand with regards to salaries and team net income. Same for college sports. JMO.

It's all about perspective, right?

I can remember when I first graduated and got my engineering job. I was making so much money that I couldn't spend it all. I was flying everywhere and doing everything. I had been a Ramen eating college student for so long that it was a world of change.

Today, I make more than double that amount, and it all disappears on who knows what. I struggle with deciding if I should buy a new shirt for myself when I haven't purchased new clothes in more than a year.

 

[Oklabama]

It's all about perspective, right?

I can remember when I first graduated and got my engineering job. I was making so much money that I couldn't spend it all. I was flying everywhere and doing everything. I had been a Ramen eating college student for so long that it was a world of change.

Today, I make more than double that amount, and it all disappears on who knows what. I struggle with deciding if I should buy a new shirt for myself when I haven't purchased new clothes in more than a year.

JCon, trust me, you can buy that shirt. LOL But I hear you.

 

[BillyRay]

I understand the financial desire these kids have, but seems to me so many rush it too much. Injuries do occur that sometimes hurts the draft potential and cost them a lot of money, but damn they still get a lot if they are drafted. You really don't need to have millions and millions of dollars to live really, really, really well unless you are too stupid to take care of it. Most of these kids could stay in school and play four years, declare for the draft, and still get a big contract.....and have a chance to sign a even better deal if they perform. And, some college injuries end dreams. But still. Bottom line, professional sports has gotten out of hand with regards to salaries and team net income. Same for college sports. JMO.

No better case than Jason White. Nobody will ever know if he could have been a successful NFL QB or not. But while playing under the rules of the NCAA, his knee injuries effectively ended any hopes he had at making any career or financial gain in the NFL. Now Jason won the Heisman, which helped him use his notoriety in the years after college to build his business success. So in the end, it worked out for him. But not all college kids that have similar misfortunes with college injuries ending their dreams have the same kind of luck. For most kids, the only time frame they could have profited from their football talent was in college. And after they exhaust their eligibility, that window closes.