NFL says defectors cannot return to league this year

Some NFL coaches have indulged players who announced their intentions to return to collegiate play. The Browns terminated their agreement with Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright, who hopes to reunite with his former head coach, Lane Kiffin, at LSU. Former Ole Miss defensive tackle Zxavian Harris made similar intentions known shortly after. He was waived by the Saints two weeks ago after signing with them as an undrafted free agent. The memo obtained by The Athletic details how players who follow in Wright and Harris’ footsteps moving forward will be handled.

“A player who signed an NFL Player Contract that is subsequently terminated by the NFL Club may return to college football, subject to applicable NCAA eligibility rules,” the memorandum states. “Such a player may practice and play football with another NFL Club by signing an NFL Player Contract, or with another professional or amateur football league.”

In layman’s terms, the league is reminding teams that, should it waive players who intend to return to college, those players become free agents just like any other released players, subject to claims on the waiver wire and able to sign with another NFL or CFL club if their intentions change. If the released player clears waivers and indeed joins a college team, this is where the NFL’s new eligibility rules will be applied.

“Any player who returns to a college football team may not join an NFL Club for the remainder of that year,” the memo continues. “An NFL Club that signs such a player is subject to discipline by the Commissioner, including the loss of draft selections and negotiating rights to the player involved. A player under an NFL Player Contract is required to honor that contract regardless of whether the player has regained college eligibility.”

The memorandum then instructs its recipients to reach out to “the NFL Management Council legal staff for guidance regarding available remedies” to situations involving players who have breached, or are considering breaching, their contracts.

While the NCAA seems to operate these days at the whim of the courts, the NFL and certain NCAA conferences have attempted to establish some guardrails before things get too far out of hand. Despite Wright and Harris’ intentions to commit to LSU, the Southeastern Conference has opted to ban the addition of NFL players attempting to return to school, following in the footsteps of the Big Ten. The two Power Four conferences were joined by a third, the Atlantic Coast Conference, the next day.

It’s hard to know where these battles will end and whether or not courts will undue these conference bans. The NFL, though, is doing its part to try to establish some semblance of order. Further measures and arguments are sure to follow.