Big Ten to Ban Former NFL Players from Returning to Conference Teams
The Big Ten will adopt a rule barring athletes who have signed NFL contracts or appeared on an NFL roster from rejoining a Big Ten football program, amid ongoing legal challenges over fifth-year eligibility.
The Big Ten conference is set to adopt a rule on Tuesday that prevents any player who has declared for the NFL draft, signed a professional contract, or appeared on an NFL roster from returning to a Big Ten football roster, according to sources familiar with the proposal. The move follows recent court orders that allowed former NFL players Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris to re-enter college football at LSU, creating what the NCAA described as a "destabilizing effect" on college sports.
"Courts across the country granting relief to ineligible athletes who already had every opportunity to compete in college ... are failing to appreciate the destabilizing effect their rulings are having on college sports," the NCAA said in a statement.
The NCAA also called on Congress to pass the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act to establish uniform eligibility rules. ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said his conference will discuss the issue this week.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, whose team tops the AP preseason poll, said he must consider the possibility of adding players cut from NFL rosters but expressed opposition to allowing former pros to retain college eligibility. "Do I like anything about it? Absolutely not," Day told reporters, adding that the Buckeyes would need to adapt to any new rules.
SEC officials reiterated their stance that athletes who sign professional contracts should not be permitted to return to college competition. LSU coach Lane Kiffin defended his program's decision to add the former NFL players, stating that athletes will either play for LSU or for another school.
The proposed Big Ten rule would establish a deadline after which schools could not add players to their rosters, a measure that Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti is expected to discuss with member institutions. Wright, who began his college career in 2022 and spent four seasons before turning pro, was waived by the Cleveland Browns and could join LSU if he clears waivers.