Big 12 ‘expected’ to join SEC, B1G in issuing policy for NFL players looking to return to college
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Following the SEC and Big Ten’s decision to ban NFL players from returning to college, the Big 12 could be next. According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the conference’s athletic directors have a meeting scheduled for Wednesday. During the meeting, per Thamel, “they’re expected to land in a similar place” to the SEC and B1G regarding their respective policies.
The B1G was first to release a statement on Tuesday banning any players who had been on a professional roster or signed a professional contract at some point. That policy only applied to football. The SEC, though, took it a step further. Any player who had been on a professional football roster or on an NBA or WNBA roster, including its affiliates, could not play in the conference.
However, according to Thamel, the Big 12 has not nailed down an exact direction regarding what its own policy would entail.
With the SEC and B1G having issued policies, and the Big 12 on the verge of issuing its own, the ACC is expected to follow suit at some point. In the midst of all that, the NCAA’s 5-for-5 rule is being challenged across the country, primarily by Class of 2022 basketball players seeking a fifth year of eligibility. The rule, as stated, wouldn’t apply to them retroactively, but a series of injunctions and restraining orders have reversed that decision.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
