{"id":7890,"date":"2026-08-27T23:37:48","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T23:37:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7890"},"modified":"2026-08-27T23:37:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T23:37:48","slug":"acc-is-latest-power-conference-to-approve-banning-players-who-were-on-nfl-rosters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7890","title":{"rendered":"ACC is latest power conference to approve banning players who were on NFL rosters"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>By AARON BEARD<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Atlantic Coast Conference has joined its power conference peers in banning players who were on NFL rosters from returning to college football.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7888\">Jaye P. Morgan dies at 94; 1950s-era pop star made gonzo turn as \u2018Gong Show\u2019 judge in 1970s<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The ACC\u2019s ban approved Thursday also covers professional athletes returning to college to play men\u2019s or women\u2019s college basketball. It comes a day after the Big 12\u2019s ruling and followed moves by the SEC and Big Ten earlier this week.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe ACC Board of Directors unanimously adopted a resolution directing the Commissioner to enforce certain eligibility requirements when an athlete seeks to return to collegiate participation after intentionally pursuing a professional career,\u201d the ACC said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>This all has been in response to a rule change passed by the NCAA granting future athletes five years of eligibility. The change has spawned lawsuits seeking to open that rule to players whose four-year careers ended earlier this year \u2014 even leading to the once unthinkable notion of players leaving college, signing with professional teams and then returning to college.<\/p>\n<p>At least two players who signed with NFL teams as undrafted free agents this offseason were hoping to return to college and play for No. 11 LSU.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust to me, that\u2019s kind of a cutoff, when a guy goes pro,\u201d N.C. State football coach Dave Doeren said after Thursday\u2019s practice. \u201cAnd we say \u2018Goodbye, good luck,\u2019 and we move on. And there shouldn\u2019t be the ability to come back. If it\u2019s the Big Ten, SEC \u2014 it doesn\u2019t matter to me: it\u2019s an amateurism rule.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Under the ACC resolution, a school is not permitted to include an individual on its football or men\u2019s or women\u2019s basketball roster when he or she:<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u2014 Has previously declared for an NFL, NBA, or WNBA draft and did not appropriately withdraw consistent with NCAA requirements to retain eligibility;<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7886\">Member of Baby Blue Wrecking Crew convicted of murdering two men for the Aryan Brotherhood<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Signed a contract with the NFL (or other professional football league), NBA\/G-League, WNBA (or affiliate) or any team that is a member of any such league.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Been listed on any roster for an NFL (or other professional football league), NBA\/G-League, or WNBA (or affiliate) team.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Board\u2019s action reflects the ACC\u2019s commitment to preserving college sports as an opportunity for college students that is clearly distinct from professional sports, protecting opportunities for current and future student-athletes, and promoting competitive equity,\u201d the ACC said. \u201cAs the eligibility landscape continues to evolve, the ACC will remain steadfast in its support for standards that are consistent with the educational mission of college athletics.\u201d<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Big 12\u2019s rule bars its schools from adding professional athletes in football or any other conference-sponsored sport. The league said its rule would apply independently of the status of NCAA eligibility determinations.<\/p>\n<p>The SEC rule approved Tuesday banned players who have been drafted by NFL, NBA or WNBA teams or listed on rosters in those leagues. The Big Ten only included football in its decision and is expected to later address other sports.<\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday, the NFL made it clear that players who leave the NFL to return to college won\u2019t be allowed to come back to the league this season.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7884\">\u2018All hell will break loose\u2019: UFC 250 attack plotters also planned to ravage Bay Area data centers, FBI says<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The ACC\u2019s ban approved Thursday also covers professional athletes returning to college to play men\u2019s or women\u2019s college basketball.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7889,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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