The NCAA will reportedly grant an extra year of eligibility to every football player who suits up in the fall.
According to Pete Thamel, the NCAA Division I Council is recommending that fall athletes get an extra year of eligibility no matter how many games they play in during the coronavirus pandemic. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
In theory, that means a player can play the entire fall slate and then return without losing a year of eligibility.
Sources: The NCAA Division I Council decided today that fall sport student-athletes can compete in any amount of competitions this year and it will not count as a season of eligibility. This still needs to be approved by NCAA Board of Governors on Friday.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 19, 2020
This is a whack idea from the NCAA. I’m all for extending eligibility for students screwed over by the coronavirus, but only if they can’t play or if the season gets cut short.
You’re telling me players will get to play every single game and it doesn’t count towards a year of eligibility? How the hell does that make sense?
It sounds like the NCAA is more or less just gifting every single player in the ACC, Big 12 and SEC another year of competition. How is that fair?
View this post on Instagram
Furthermore, what will happen with the schools who play in the winter or spring? Do they also all get an extra year?
This proposal seems to raise a lot more questions than it answers.
View this post on Instagram
Players who don’t get a full season or can’t play at all should get an extra year of eligibility. However, I’m not sure a blanket extension is a grand idea. It sounds like a mess waiting to happen.
