NFL Draft Legal Decision

[jamesglewisf]

What do you think of the ruling against the NFL and for Maurice Clarett?

I think the NFL ought to be able to set whatever limits it wants on when a player is eligible.

I think it is bad for college football. I feel the same way about the NBA and college basketball. If they want to have rules, they ought to be able to.

It's even more annoying that Clarrett took money illegally, lied about it, was declared ineligible, and now gets to go on to the pros. They ought to keep him out just for that.

[theyeti]

I agree. For that matter I don't like much the NFL does. Football isn't a huge sport for me.

Our collegiate system is unique to the world, and very strange. We say that it helps to get the players an education, but of course that's not the main reason they're there. College football looks to be on its way down... I forget who it was that suggested that it is time for the NFL to develop a minor league. That could be approaching on the horizon. On the other hand, I think college basketball is on the way up (who will want to coach in the NBA anymore when you get fired every 3 months?) and with the impending NHL lockout next season, college hockey is on the way up as well.

[Grimey]

Why does the NFL care? I can understand the colleges caring, but why would the NFL care? Is it because players that young won't be very productive and you'll have to pay them to sit on the bench? Or would he likely be a starter?

[theyeti]

I don't know what good reason a team would have for starting him next season... he's rusty, inexperienced, and isn't really NFL caliber yet.... plus you've got to think all the vets will be after him! He's going to be public enemy #1 for anyone on the defensive side of the ball next year.

[jamesglewisf]

A higher court reversed it today. It doesn't look like he'll be in the draft.

[theyeti]

That's good news.

I can't believe ESPN is showing 7 hours of the draft... I spose it's probably like that every year, but it seems like overkill to me.

[CuriousG]

There are a few reasons the NFL has the eligibility rules that it does...

1) The NFL uses college football as its farm league. Unlike baseball who mainly uses the minor league system, the NFL has a well organized and competitive pool to pick its players from. The best part, its FREE. Granted you have the arena, canadian, and world leagues that produce some players, but the college programs are mainly what produce the players. Using the college program, the NFL has 4 years to evaluate the performance, durability and maturation of these players. They are playing at the next best level to the NFL. It takes a lot of the guessing out. Look at the stats in the NBA, taking a great high school player or college freshman is sometimes a huge gamble. A lot of them are busts.

2) Marketing, marketing, marketing. If you take the best players out of the college football programs, tv ratings will go down, which affects advertising rates, merchandising, ticket sales, etc. Not to mention the fact that alumni and students love to see their alma maters have a great football team. It generates school prestige, alumni donations and the like. The attention these sports teams bring to their school brings applications and funding for a lot of other things.

3) Believe it or not, and not saying it always happens, a lot of emphasis has been placed on getting an education for pro athletes in the last couple of years. The average career of a professional athlete isn't that long. They make a bunch of money in a short amount of time and they need to know how to take care of it. Without an education they throw it all away and have nothing. They live the lifestyle because thats all they know. There is life after football, and they need to know how to live then. Many of them who make the league minimum still have to work after they are done, especially if they are injured in their first year or so. What are they going to do if they don't have an education?

[jamesglewisf]

Does anyone watch the draft live? I have to be pretty bored to do that. Sometimes I listen to it on the radio while I'm in the car.

[theyeti]

I couldn't think of a duller way to spend the afternoon.