Sometimes it appears Roger Goodell and NCAA prez Mark Emmert are in a back-and-forth marathon race to prove which organizational head can become the most universally disliked. According to CBSSports.com, the NFL is considering barring collegiate prospects who are academically ineligible from participating in the NFL Combine.
Unfortunately, that idea would be completely antithetical to the point of the Combine. Aside from the 40s and cone drills, the Combine is a chance for general managers to interview prospects with controversial pasts.
That’s where prospects like Aaron Hernandez get red-flagged and identified as possible locker room problems. Or it’s where athletes like Victor Cruz can explain their past troubles.
Perhaps his goal is to compel athletes to be more studious about their studies, but he’s overstepping his bounds — again. He’s already got NFL Security investigating prospects, but what’s a GPA have to do with making an NFL roster? Steve Jobs ring a bell? NSA hacker Edward Snowden is a high school dropout.
In reality, it may not affect the vast majority of prospects, but it’s a slippery slope for the league. It’s bad enough that the league forces prospects to wait three years to become draft eligible. Where does he draw the line? He’s already suspended rookies in the past for committing NCAA violations. Is he going to start docking paychecks if they failed World Politics 2100?
If this unofficial merger of the NCAA and NFL is going to stand, then maybe Goodell should start looking at the men in charge. Chip Kelly effectively had an 18-month ban placed on him by the NCAA and dude's getting off scott-free. Goodell's got a ways to go to catch up to the inept NCAA President's low popularity numbers, but he's getting there.
