The NFL has reiterated to its member clubs that any player returning to college football after being released from an NFL contract will be ineligible to sign with a team during the current season. The league issued a memo, obtained by ESPN, clarifying rules already in place regarding free agents.
Under these guidelines, a player cut by an NFL team can sign with another NFL club or join the Canadian Football League (CFL). However, if that player chooses to return to college football, they will be barred from signing with an NFL team for the duration of that season. Furthermore, such players will not be eligible for future NFL drafts.
This directive comes amid a period of significant uncertainty in college athletics, particularly concerning player eligibility and professional pathways. Notably, tight end Dae’Quan Wright, who was recently released by the Cleveland Browns, had been expected to sign with LSU and reunite with former Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin. Similarly, Zxavian Harris, cut by the New Orleans Saints, was also anticipated to join Kiffin at LSU. Both Wright and Harris had reportedly received temporary restraining orders allowing them to return to college football, granting them an additional year of eligibility.
In response to these situations, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the Big Ten Conference have implemented new eligibility guidelines. These rules stipulate that any athlete who has signed with a professional team, declared for the NFL Draft, or participated in a professional training camp is ineligible for conference competition. These conference-level policies appear to conflict with the NCAA's standing regulations and have drawn criticism from legal representatives working on behalf of players seeking to return to college athletics.
Attorney Ryan Downton, representing several players aiming to re-enter college sports, stated that his team is developing a legal strategy against both the NCAA and the conferences that have enacted these new guidelines. Downton characterized the SEC's actions as potentially putting the NCAA in contempt of court orders and described the conferences' efforts to create ad-hoc rules as "cartel-like conduct."