SEC commissioner Mike Slive speaks out on freshmen ineligibility
While Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany hopes to lead a national discussion on the potential for freshmen ineligibility, SEC commissioner Mike Slive doesn’t sound too enthused about the idea.
Slive, while mentioning the new academic requirements for freshmen that will begin next year, released a lengthy statement about the issue on Monday.
"A lot of thought and preparation went into the new initial eligibility rules that go into effect in 2016," said Slive. "It is more appropriate to implement these new regulations and understand their impact before applying additional eligibility restrictions that may be more cosmetic than effective.
"Let's step back and consider our goal. If we are trying to impact graduation rates and grade point averages, we have to remember that each college student has his or her own academic challenges. To put a blanket over these student-athletes with a year on the bench doesn't address those individual needs to incentivize academic progress. Many students do come to college prepared both academically and athletically ready to compete in the classroom and in competition, and to penalize those students with a universal policy may create unintended consequences not beneficial to many student-athletes.
"If this proposal is about student-athletes turning professional, we need to be careful not to create rules for a few that penalize the many. The universe of student-athletes who leave early for professional sports is very small compared to the numbers that participate in football and men's basketball. And just because a student-athlete enters professional sports does not mean he or she has totally abandoned their academic pursuits."
No arguments on this one. Everything Slive said in his statement makes complete sense. Student-athletes who enter a D-I school on or after Aug. 1, 2016 won’t be eligible if their grade point average is below 2.3 upon graduation from high school. If the student-athlete does not meet this requirement, he or she must take an “academic redshirt.” The athletes must also meet SAT and ACT requirements as well.
The NCAA is still more than a year from seeing the impact of that particular rule change play out. Making another change – a far more radical one like making freshmen ineligible – could have a negative impact. Plus, as Slive said, “each college student has his or her own academic challenges.” Why pigeonhole the others who can handle the workload and their athletic pursuits simultaneously?
The Big Ten says any potential change would come with education in mind, but Delany said the league “won’t go alone” on these issues. If the SEC isn’t on board, it would be surprising to see anything tangible coming from these discussions.
Slive announced his retirement, effective July 31, in October due to a recurrence of prostate cancer.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
