Jim Harbaugh has always loved pushing the boundaries both in college and in the NFL as a coach, and he’s found a new way to push the envelope further and further out this time. He’s made no secret of his plans for “spring break” for his football team – he’s going to bring them down to Florida and practice during their should-be off time. The SEC first raised qualms about this plan and now NCAA president Mark Emmert is doing the same.
During an interview with the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees, Emmert wasn’t exactly complimentary of Harbaugh’s spring plans. Via The State…
“There is a big debate going on among administrators right now about how to provide more time off for student-athletes so the use of spring break for practices caused a lot of people to be concerned about it, and that’s an appropriate concern,” Emmert said. “We are trying to find ways to dial back the demands on student-athletes, not ramp them up.”
The Wolverines are going to set up shop in Bradenton, Florida at the IMG Academy to hold their first spring practices, and even though the plans do not violate any NCAA rules, it’s not going to stop executives from getting mad at them.
“There’s a difference between not being prohibited and being OK,” Emmert said.
There’s very little the NCAA could do to enact a rules change in a week to prevent Michigan from making this move. However, a committee will meet in April to discuss ways of lessening time demands on student athletes, whose schedules are incredibly hectic and often too crowded with classes and practice time commitments.
The current rules allow for a 20 hour limit on sports activities per week, but that rule is hard to follow for multiple reasons, one of which being that many college athletes spend time on multiple sports.
South Carolina board member and former football player Chuck Allen supported an immediate rule change.
“They need to get away. They need to rejuvenate,” Allen said of today’s football players. “We used to call it being normal.”
“I think the opinion you are expressing is right on the mark,” Emmert told Allen. “I haven’t talked to one student-athlete yet that thinks it’s a good idea.”
Just remember, folks – “spring break” football practices ostensibly used as a thinly-veiled recruiting tool are not OK, but paying them is still out of bounds. The NCAA, everyone!
