OT - Kyle Parker signs with Rockies. How?
http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/24715/parker-and-rockies-strike-a-deal
I have questions and I hope someone can help me. How is a player able to speak with agents, enter a draft, and sign with a team for a different sport but not for football? Not trying to be cocky here, I'm seriously asking this. Could you enter the NBA draft and still play college football? Could you enter the NFL and still play college basketball?
August 17th, 2010 at 3:47 PM ^
I think as soon as you sign a contract with someone to get money - your college days are over. I don't think it matters what sport it's in.
August 17th, 2010 at 3:51 PM ^
There seems to be a long history of college football players who played minor league baseball. The most suprising? Ricky Williams.
Best story (if true, could be urban legend), Michael Vick was drafted having never played baseball in his life (don't think he signed).
August 17th, 2010 at 4:07 PM ^
He was drafted by the Rockies in the 30th round. Apparently he was surprised that he was drafted, because he hadn't played baseball since middle school. Another cool Vick fact-even though he throws left handed, he is actually right handed.
August 17th, 2010 at 4:12 PM ^
Little-known fact: Tom Brady was drafted by the Expos (as a catcher, I believe).
August 17th, 2010 at 3:50 PM ^
That wasn't the case for Drew Henson. He signed with the Yankees in the summer of 1998 and played minor-league baseball. He was ineligible to play college baseball after that, but was good to go for football.
August 17th, 2010 at 4:23 PM ^
Correction: The Yankees paid him enough money so that he would give up playing football. This also coincides with when I started hating the Yankees.
Before being traded to the Yankees, Henson was playing for another franchise, the Reds maybe?
Edit: Looked it up, he was drafted by the Yankees but was traded to the Reds. It was when he was traded back to the Yankees that he gave up football. mea culpa.
August 17th, 2010 at 4:41 PM ^
Before he even stepped on the Michigan campus. He then got traded to the Red's. George got him back and ruined our QB play for a few years.
He played minor league ball during the summer. One summer in Columbus.
August 17th, 2010 at 3:58 PM ^
Just this year Russell Wilson played minor league ball all summer and returned to NC State for fall camp.
August 17th, 2010 at 3:49 PM ^
Drew Henson. Signed with the Yankees and played Michigan Football.
August 17th, 2010 at 3:50 PM ^
If it's a different sport, it's allowed. It's ridiculous, but allowed.
The issue is getting the team to give you millions of dollars and then let you play a different sport and risk injury. Obviously in this case Parker is going to take out a nice sized insurance policy.
August 17th, 2010 at 3:58 PM ^
Hmm...it seems like it might be a little more complicated than that because Jeremy Bloom was declared ineligible by the NCAA because of his skiing career.
I don't remember the details of that case, but I wonder if the NCAA draws a distinction for salaries drawn from another sport versus advertising income (which may potentially be strongly linked to another sport, but ultimately leverages the popularity of the athlete overall).
August 17th, 2010 at 4:22 PM ^
Bloom's eligibility went up in smoke the minute he accepted endorsement money for his skiing career. Apparently the NCAA draws the line between a "regular" salary and money gained from endorsements.
EDIT: Wow, maybe I should have read the rest of the thread before responding and saying the exact same thing, and not as well, to boot.
August 17th, 2010 at 3:51 PM ^
Probably with a pen.
August 17th, 2010 at 3:52 PM ^
As long as it is not the sport you are competing in, you are allowed to play "professionally" in that and still maintain eligibility in you rother sport. There are some exceptions to this (I remember the Jeremy Bloom fiasco at Colorado), but I think that had more to do with Bloom's endorsement deals as a professional skier that impacted his amateur status as opposed to salary / prize winnings he got as a professional skier. I think that's the trick-- if you don't accept any endorsement money, you keep your other sport eligibility.
August 17th, 2010 at 4:05 PM ^
That's what I remember about the Bloom case. It was the endorsements he made from his name that made him ineligible in the NCAA's eyes. Making a wage in another sport is still legal, but getting money from endorsements is illegal. Don't ask me why, but that seems to be the case.
August 17th, 2010 at 4:08 PM ^
Correct. You are considered an amateur in football as long as you do not accept any endorsement deals or accept salary from playing football. Playing professional baseball is akin to having a job in the summer as far as your football eligibility is concerned.
Endorsements are taboo because what's stopping a player like USC-era Reggie Bush from accepting a $10 million endorsement from Gatorade to play badminton? Professional teams most likely aren't going to pay a college football superstar much money if they aren't worth it.
August 17th, 2010 at 3:58 PM ^
was one of the more high-profile cases I can remember.
it happens. there just aren't many high profile sports that don't have overlapping seasons, which is why you'll probably never see an NBA/CFB crossover.
August 17th, 2010 at 4:04 PM ^
Chris Weinke. Didn't he play minor league baseball and then come back to Florida State (?) to win the Heisman when he was like 26?
August 17th, 2010 at 4:05 PM ^
...AND Weinke banged my buddy's girlfriend. So, there's that.
August 17th, 2010 at 4:08 PM ^
you can no longer remain on scholarship if you sign a professional contract. Either Parker or the Rockies (however they worked it out) will end up paying tuition to Clemson.
August 17th, 2010 at 4:12 PM ^
Jake Locker is the best current example. He got drafted by the Angels and got a signing bonus, etc. He couldn't be on scholarship at UW, but used the money from the Angels to pay for his tuition.
Clearly the best walk-on in the country (and no Kovacs isn't eligible for that status because he has a scholarship now). I wonder why more teams don't use this as a loop hole. If a highly touted player doesn't play baseball and goes to the NFL, such as Locker, they'll have to pay the MLB team back, but their school would have really gotten an extra scholarship for a few years.
August 17th, 2010 at 4:21 PM ^
in this plan, and it would look weird if it happened more than twice. And if it were ever revealed that this was an intentional plan the NCAA would have a field day with boosters and institutional control allegations.
August 17th, 2010 at 4:20 PM ^
Dennis Dixon was drafted by the Braves in 2007. Too bad he returned to Oregon later that year...