SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - NFL players returning to college football is shaking up the sport.
According to ESPN, some players are returning to college football because of a court order that is creating havoc throughout the NCAA by allowing athletes an unexpected fifth year of eligibility. The players can reportedly regain their college eligibility if they terminate their pro contracts and repay any pro earnings.
With fall classes already underway, Notre Dame is holding firm on its academic timelines and standards. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman explained why trying to bring professional players through the university’s graduate admissions process now does not make sense.
“For us right here at Notre Dame, it’s just too late in the graduate admissions process, and I don’t think it would put a person in a good situation this late,” Freeman said last Friday, Aug. 21. “School starts on Monday to have success in the classroom and on the field. And so that’s kind of been our stance with it, that when these rulings started being approved . . . our admissions has already done their admissions and cycles, and it’s like, you’re not going to set that person up to have success. So that’s kind of where the university and the athletic program stands right now.”
The Big Ten Conference unanimously approved a conference rule Tuesday to prohibit football players from playing if they signed a professional contract.
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