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Eddie Vanderdoes-Notre Dame case proof National Letter of Intent unfair

By Anonymous Coward — June 4th, 2013 at 7:16 PM — 4 comments
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in exchange for something here is some nothing

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Eddie Vanderdoes-Notre Dame case proof National Letter of Intent unfair

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June 4th, 2013 at 8:50 PM
#2
WolvinLA2
WolvinLA2's picture
Joined: 11/13/2009
MGoPoints: 52761
But doesn't the student

But doesn't the student athlete get something?  They give their commitment to the school in exchange for a scholarship.  Yes, I understand that in a select few cases, the school hasn't upheld their end of the bargain, but that's really not the norm.  It's not like schools are signing a bunch of LOIs and then only taking the guys they want.  

If the argument is "There is a harsher punishment when the player reneges than when the school/coach does" then I agree with you, but I don't think the solution is to allow any player out of their LOI, otherwise what is the point?

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June 5th, 2013 at 8:54 AM
(Reply to #2) #3
mnb zach
mnb zach's picture
Joined: 11/01/2009
MGoPoints: 234
The argument isn't that the punishment is harsher

It is that there is no punishment at all when schools renege on NLIs.  Schools are free to do as they please, to accept a player and honor their promise to offer him a scholarship months after he signed a contract that he and most other players think guarantee them something.  It is a completely one-sided agreement that strips a mass of individuals of rights while providing no guarantee in return.

Sure, 99% of NLI's end in a player getting a scholarship, but it's that 1% that is extremely troubling.  FIxing the system and giving recruits more rights and benefits isn't going  to have an adverse effect on the 99%, but it will be a more fair system to the 1%.

Also, the solution isn't to allow any player out of their NLI.  It is to make it so if a school accepts a player's NLI then that school will honor its end of the bargain and offer a scholarship.  That won't help players like Vanderdoes, but it will at least make the NLI more of a two-way agreement and less a fancy way to strip potential college athletes of a lot of rights while not guaranteeing anything in return.

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June 5th, 2013 at 10:49 AM
(Reply to #2) #4
AAB
Joined: 01/14/2009
MGoPoints: 7940
The point is that

they don't have to sign a NLI to get a scholarship.  

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June 5th, 2013 at 11:07 AM
(Reply to #4) #5
Farnn
Joined: 07/07/2008
MGoPoints: 11640
Would be pretty cool to see a

Would be pretty cool to see a player like Peppers or Hand or another blue chip player leverage their demand by refusing to sign a LOI. Once one does it, a bunc would follow suit.  I would just hope that those who do it, do with with the right intent, to keep their rights.  But I could see it snowballing into boosters giving kids stuff to get them transfer.

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