04/02/26 08:53:00
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04/01 17:29 CDT NCAA committee proposes barring prospective athletes if they
opt into and remain in a pro draft
NCAA committee proposes barring prospective athletes if they opt into and
remain in a pro draft
By ERIC OLSON
AP Sports Writer
After two high-profile cases in basketball this season, the NCAA Division I
Cabinet will consider proposed changes to eligibility rules --- including one
that would bar athletes who have entered and remained in a professional sports
draft from competing in college.
The Academics and Eligibility Committee proposed the changes Wednesday, and the
cabinet could take action within weeks. The new rules, if approved, would be
effective for athletes entering college this fall.
"These proposed changes reflect ongoing work by Division I members to modernize
our rules to align with the current era of college sports," said Illinois
athletic director Josh Whitman, chair of the cabinet. "As Division I members
proceed with reviewing all eligibility rules in the months ahead, our focus
will be establishing rules that have objective criteria that can be
consistently applied for both prospects and current student-athletes."
One of the proposals would require prospects to withdraw from opt-in
professional league drafts, including the NBA draft, to bring pre-college
enrollment draft rules in line with post-college enrollment draft rules. Men's
ice hockey and baseball would not be affected because athletes don't opt in to
those sports' drafts.
The proposal comes after two basketball players, Alabama's Charles Bediako and
Baylor's James Nnaji, played in college this season after entering the 2023 NBA
draft.
Bediako played two seasons at Alabama and entered the draft. He wasn't selected
but played three years in the G League, the NBA's minor league. He filed a
lawsuit against the NCAA after it denied Alabama's request to allow him to
return to collegiate competition this season.
His lawyers argued that Bediako remains within his five-year college
eligibility window, an NCAA rule that is the subject of multiple other
lawsuits. A judge, who later recused himself from the case, issued a temporary
restraining order that allowed Bediako to play while the case moved forward. He
played in five games before another judge lifted the order in a decision upheld
by the Alabama Supreme Court.
Nnaji, from Nigeria, was selected by the Detroit Pistons in the second round of
the draft. He played professionally overseas before he enrolled as a freshman
at Baylor in December. He was granted eligibility because he had never signed
an NBA contract or played in the G League.
The Academics and Eligibility Committee also proposed that prospects be allowed
to sign with agents prior to enrolling in college. Under current NCAA rules,
prospects are only permitted to sign with agents for name, image and likeness
purposes, with exceptions for baseball and hockey players who can enter
agreements with agents if they are drafted.
The committee also proposed that athletes be allowed to accept prize money in
their respective sports without impacting eligibility. Currently, prospects can
accept prize money only up to actual and necessary expenses, except in tennis,
which permits up to $10,000 in prize money.
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