Big Ten and SEC Take a Stand on Former NFL Players

The Big Ten Conference has made history by becoming the first power conference to ban former NFL players from returning to play within their league. This move has sent shockwaves throughout the college athletics space, with the Southeastern Conference (SEC) following suit by proposing a similar policy. The SEC’s decision was made after a unanimous vote by its member schools, with LSU being at the center of the recent controversy.

The Big Ten’s ban, which was approved by its athletic directors and faculty athletics representatives, prohibits former NFL players from pursuing a fifth year of eligibility within their league. This move is modeled on the NCAA’s ghost transfer rule, which bans coaches from 50% of games and carries a financial penalty on the school equal to 20% of its football budget.

The SEC’s policy is more comprehensive, banning players from the NFL, NBA, and WNBA from participating in conference games. The league’s commissioner, Greg Sankey, will have the authority to determine punishments for violating the new policy.

The Big 12 Conference is also considering a similar ban, and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is set to meet on Wednesday to discuss the subject. This shift in power conferences’ policies is a response to growing legal uncertainty and the recent push from players who’ve signed NFL contracts trying to return to school.

The NCAA approved a measure allowing players to play up to five seasons within a five-year span, but only for the class of 2023 and later. This decision led to former players from the class of 2022 who had exhausted their four years of eligibility filing lawsuits seeking temporary injunctions for a fifth season. Some were successful, leading many players to rejoin rosters across the country.

LSU has been at the center of the recent controversy after Lane Kiffin secured commitments from two former NFL players. LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry has been supportive of Kiffin’s plan, but it remains to be seen whether he votes alongside his SEC colleagues to ban those players from participating in the SEC.

Coaches are divided on the issue, with some advocating for further punishment, including game forfeitures, if teams play a former professional athlete. The SEC has urged Congress to pass the Protect College Sports Act to better protect itself from such developments, but the league is moving toward individual conference-wide rules and enforcement.

This move by the power conferences signals a shift towards self-governance models, in case legislation in Washington, D.C. fails to become law later this year. The Big Ten and SEC are preparing to enforce their own policies, potentially leading to a separate rules-and-enforcement model from the NCAA.

The lawsuits filed by players seeking a fifth season of eligibility are unlikely to have much impact, given the unanimous approval among the 18 schools in the Big Ten. However, it remains to be seen how the SEC will enforce its new policy and how players will respond to the ban.

The Big Ten’s decision and the other conferences’ discussions arrive amid growing uncertainty and a recent push from players who’ve signed NFL contracts trying to return to school. The power conferences are moving closer to banning former NFL players from playing within their membership, with the SEC following the Big Ten’s lead.