Big Ten to put foot down, block NFL players from returning to college

Sometimes, when everyone is standing around and waiting for a leader to step up, it falls on you to become that leader.

The Big Ten took on that role Tuesday morning, reportedly coming together as a conference and planning to vote on a new rule that would block players who have declared for the NFL from returning to the college level for one more year of eligibility granted by the new "5-for-5" scholarship rule.

According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, any player who declared for the NFL draft and did not withdraw, appeared on an NFL roster, or signed a contract with a pro league cannot be on a Big Ten roster.

This has been a major conversation over the past week after a temporary restraining order was granted for former college athletes who would have otherwise been granted an extra year of eligibility under the new scholarship rule, had it not been passed after they left for the NFL. We've seen players like Dae'Quan Wright, a former Ole Miss TE who signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent this summer, ask to be waived by the Browns so he could come back to school, enter the transfer portal, and join Lane Kiffin with the LSU Tigers.

Sources: The Big Ten is set to pass a rule today that doesn’t allow players to return from the NFL and play for a Big Ten school. Anyone who has declared for the NFL Draft and did not withdraw, appeared on an NFL roster or signed a contract with a pro league cannot be on a Big…

There were several other players who were considering similar moves under the new rules, but going forward, they will not be able to go to a Big Ten school, according to the new rule.

While this is an honorable move from the conference, it's fair to question — and worry — what the other conferences, namely the SEC, will do going forward. There's an expectation that the SEC will follow suit and block NFL athletes from returning, but there's also a world where they choose to go the other way and become the conference that allows these former professional athletes to find a home with their teams.

Ultimately, as is the case with seemingly anything in college football anymore, this will be taken to the courts and settled there. For now, though, we can be thankful to the Big Ten for introducing some common sense in the entire situation.

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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Big Ten to put foot down, block NFL players from returning to college