Newz Forum: FOOTBALL: ACC wants to give players another year to complete degrees

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The Atlantic Coast Conference has proposed making football players eligible to compete for five years, saying the extra season might allow some students to get their degrees rather than leave school early.

The NCAA will vote on the proposal no earlier than April 2005, said Shane Lyons, the ACC's associate commissioner.

"Many students who have exhausted eligibility have to make a decision about whether they pursue their professional or athletic career without getting their education," Lyons said in a phone interview Tuesday. "We believe it's more likely that student athletes will return if they still have that eligibility."

The ACC, which proposed the rule to the NCAA earlier this month, suggested that the NCAA eliminate redshirt seasons, when players are on the team but don't play. A redshirt season does not count toward eligibility.

source

CBS

I agree, get rid of the redshirt seasons.

There you go. Eliminate the redshirt and allow five years of eligibility. If it promotes academics, it cant be bad.

I'm no tsure that it would promote academics. But it does beat the idea of redsirting.

I am of the opinion that the athletes are pampered at school, anyway, so why give them any more?

Well I think one of the problems is that players play out their eligibility before they graduate and alot of them don't stick around to finish their education. With an extra year of eligibility, possibly the graduation rate could increase.

Originally posted by ProudAmerican
Well I think one of the problems is that players play out their eligibility before they graduate and alot of them don't stick around to finish their education. With an extra year of eligibility, possibly the graduation rate could increase.

To me that says that they aren't really interested in education anyway. If they really wanted that degree, they would find a way to get it done. Everyone else does, in one way or another.