Breaking: Federal appeals court rules Maurice Clarett ineligible

[11 Bravo]

for the NFL draft. (I think he should stay in school, but I am at a loss to see how this decision can possibly be Constitutional.)

[Renew Deal]

1. Good!!!

That kid would have been killed in the NFL.

[bhunt70]

2. he gets banged up in college already

but it should be his choice to get ruined in the NFL so early.

[No Passaran]

3. Wow!

Well he can't go back to college sports anymore. He already hired an agent.

[playahata1]

4. What does that mean for USC's Mike Williams?

He, too came out after only two years.

As for Pitt's Larry Fitzgerald, it's been THREE years since he graduated from high school, so he's in the clear.

[Muddleoftheroad]

5. Williams is also screwed

I think he too has hired an agent. My guess is the NCAA will allow them back in given the unusual circumstances.

[atre]

8. Don't count on it.

They'll be in the NFL next year. See my post below.

[SoCalDem]

6. They need to start calling college sports what they really are

Pre-NFL farm teams...and pay the students..

The whole NCAA thing is a sham, and we all know it.. Valuable slots for college are given to kids who only want to play ball.. They should do it like the military has done..

Promise them an opportunity to go to school AFTER their 4 year sport's stint is up.. If they get drafted to the NFL/NBA, fine.. If not, they may then do their college.. At that point in their lives, having been turned down , they might concentrate on the college and do well.. They would have to take REAL classes, and would exit college with a regular education..

The way it's done now, is just stupid.. They take up space in classes that they hate (and probably have others take tests for)...those spaces are then denied to academic students who WOULD study and do well in them..

Rich old guys get even richer from the students' on-the-field/court endeavors, and often these guys exit college, barely able to even read..

[atre]

7. Let me explain

The issue decided by the lower court was whether the NFL was prohibited in light of anti-trust legislation from using "three years in college" as a proxy for NFL readiness. If this decision is reversed on appeal, it doesn't mean that Clarett is automatically rendered ineligible. It just means that the NFL will be permitted to use that rule in the future.

It's too late to reverse course on Clarett and Mike Williams. The kids have already hired agents, and thus would be barred from playing NCAA athletics.

The practical effect of the decision is that this year's underclassmen will only be exceptions.