SEC issues policy banning NFL, NBA, WNBA players from competing in conference
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
The SEC has followed the Big Ten’s lead in banning NFL players from competition. But it took things a step further: it has banned not just NFL players, but all professional athletes.
The conference released a statement outlining the policy. Under it, players who previously signed NFL, NBA, G-League, or WNBA contracts — or have been on a roster for either a pro team or one of its affiliates — won’t be able to participate. In fact, any athlete who has signed a contract with any professional football league is banned. Any player who has declared for a draft but failed to withdraw is banned from competition, too.
The ruling comes days after Zxavian Harris, who played at Ole Miss for four seasons and later signed a UDFA contract with the New Orleans Saints before being waived, committed to LSU, where he would reunite with Lane Kiffin. Under this new policy from the SEC, he won’t be eligible.
This reaches beyond Harris, of course. A host of college basketball players from the Class of 2022 had hoped to return for a fifth year under the NCAA’s new 5-for-5 rule. Several of those basketball players had signed Exhibit 10 contracts with NBA teams and had played in the Summer League, with others seeing time in the G-League as well.
If those players are looking to return to the college ranks, they now won’t be able to play in the SEC.
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.
