WolvinLA2

June 4th, 2013 at 8:50 PM ^

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?

mnb zach

June 5th, 2013 at 8:54 AM ^

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.

Farnn

June 5th, 2013 at 11:07 AM ^

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.