Wasted youth
 

What do you guys think about the Clarrett ruling?

I don't want the NFL to become the NBA. What's more, I don't want college football to become a watered down product.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200....ap/index.html

Does the NFL stand a chance at reversing this? Do any of you think it's a good idea for the rule to change?

Wasted youth
 

It doesn\'t appear that the NFL has a chance. I can see both sides, but if I put my own personal reservations aside and think about what is right, technically I don\'t see how you can keep him from earning a living. I enjoy college football as much as I do pro, so this will set a very dangerous precedent. The good thing is that player\'s performance in college football still sets the standard as to how they are drafted, so who knows what effect this will have.

Wasted youth
 

I really don’t see a reversal on this one. Nor do I see it mattering too much. As B&B said, college is still the standard by which a player is marked. The NBA is a bad example of this. In basketball you need height and skill to succeed. Most high school students have already finished with their growth spurt and will not grow any taller. The skill is what is in question. Looking at Kobe or LeBron shows that some elite players are able to acquire that skill during high school. However in the NFL, not only do you need skill, you also need size and strength. Neither of these things will be fully developed until after your high school years. If you wanted to look at another sport that you do need size and strength for, it would be hockey. Players are drafter right out of high school, however rarely will you see a player who is drafted actually play for that team. Most of the time they will go to the farm team for a couple years until their bodies catch up with their skill level. There are always going to be the exceptions to every rule, and that is what Clarrett is. I really doubt there are going to be too many more like him.

But I really did like LaVar\'s comment Really?? You think so???

Wasted youth
 

Can\'t reverse it. The NFL\'s policy, though a generally good one if you ask me, basically equates to age discrimination.

Wasted youth
 

I disagree. The challenge to the rule wasn\'t argued on the basis of any discrimination as far as I can tell. It was about antitrust laws.

The ruling just seems odd to me overall. I haven\'t read anymore than was in the article, but one thing the article discussed was the rule\'s anti-competitive nature. It doesn\'t make a lot of sense to me because when your talking about the NFL being anti-competitive you would think that you\'re referring to competition from other leagues, such as the XFL.

The only competition Clarrett poses is to other players in the NFL. So, this ruling may have focused on that aspect and held that the players as a group, being the NFL, were unfairly keeping Clarrett out of the market.

I don\'t really buy that either because they\'re not closing the professional football market, just their own specific version of it. They aren\'t trying to keep him out of football altogether with the eligibility rule, but simply out of the NFL.

I had considered the age discrimination issue and decided that, if he was attacking the rule based on that, he\'d fail. First, the NFL is a private organization. It can make just about any rules for membership that it wishes. Certainly, there are some restrictions, but I\'d be surprised to find it struck down for underage restrictions. Secondly, when you\'re talking about age discrimination you\'re really talking about the upper end of age, not the lower.

\"The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older from employment discrimination based on age.\" - http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/age.html

Wasted youth
 

Clarett really isn\'t all that great at Ohio State.

I think the court ruling, if upheld, will work to lower the quality of the product the NFL puts on the field.

Wasted youth
 

I don\'t think many teams will bite on players coming out after one year. Lets face it football is not basketball and high school/one college year isn\'t going to have you ready for the pro\'s. Not many teams are going to waste a pick... its draft is to bring someone in who can play NOW, not sit for 3-4 years and hope. Even some players now have to sit a year or so...
I am ok with the rulling but its only going to hurt the players coming out in the long run.

Wasted youth
 

The financial side of the suit is the more interesting side to me .If Clarett wins this side , there could be a feeding frenzy on the N.F.L. Juniors claiming they lost money all the way down the line , it would appeal to some players as just getting a bonus check .

Wasted youth
 

Okay, I havent spoken in a while so let me go.
Pak, welcome back you sly devil.
Anyways back to the topic at hand. Clarett isn\'t physically ready for the NFL, he was barely ready in college and this was before he sat out an entire year. Fitzgerald, isnt that much of a difference, a WR doesnt necessarily need the size or maturity thing because there is alot of WR\'s in the league smaller than him.

If these players are looking for a big pay day they better get ready for Uncle Ray Ray Lewis, or as much as I hate to say Roy Williams, they can end your career and your big pay day quick. How many other jobs can you just go straight from high school and start, most you have to work your way up and prove yourself, and everyone says this is a business decision then there are 32 Bosses that arent too smart with some of their products they put out there, sorry this went from being about early entry, to getting angry about Haslett and Brooks, yuck

One last thing, just to show yall how good the saints are one of the qb\'s in the SB couldnt even start for us, I wish it was that but we\'re just stuck with a dum bass coach.

Holla, Pak Stay Up!

Wasted youth
 

The ruling is a crock.
First, there\'s no \"right to work\".
Second, the NFL is not denying Clarett employment. \"Entering the draft\" doesn\'t mean you are going to get hired. Or is he going to sue again when he doesn\'t get drafted?
Third, the NFL policy is \"3 years removed from High School to enter the draft\". No mention of actual age. Also, there\'s no mention of the policy affecting undrafted players.

The thing that really pisses me off about the whole situation, is that this guy is doing all of this, because he screwed up his college career by breaking not only NCAA rules, but the law as well, now he\'s trying to be a martyr.

Wasted youth
 

Good argument. You have supported your case well with hard facts. I raise the white flag.
But you are right. They aren\'t denying him employment. What they are doing is basically trying to prevent him from even getting to the NFL equivalent of what would be the interview process, ie, the draft, where these kids are poked and prodded in the weeks leading up, interview after interview with various teams, tests, etc, which some would consider to be alot worse.

Wasted youth
 

Though I am against the NFL\'s rule being struck down, after thinking it over, I don\'t see a problem with allowing kids like Clarrett to declare themselves eligible for the draft.

First, if it\'s true that Clarrett and those like him are not ready, then we\'ll find out for sure when they get drafted. After a couple years of drafting freshmen and sophs, the owners will have a better idea of whether it is a good thing to do from the teams\' perspective. They understand that there is a greater risk inherit in drafting someone as young as Clarrett. I say let them take that risk if they feel it is justified.

Second, players like Fitzgerald have more to lose than Clarrett, but it is a big risk for all. When a college player declares himself eligible for the NFL draft, that player is automatically ineleigible to play in the NCAA. So, a player like Fitzgerald can try to capitalize on his good season, but has to understand that the NFL is going to see him as higher risk than if he were a junior or senior and that he cannot go back to college if he doesn\'t get drafted as high as he thought he would.

What gets to me about the whole Clarrett issue is that he brought it upon himself and now he\'s forcing an organization to change its rules because he couldn\'t comply with NCAA rules. Then to top it off, his PR reps played the race card as a factor...nevermind that he did break the rules! It all combined to set me against him and his position from the get go.

Wasted youth
 

Leave sarcasm to the professionals...

Want \"hard facts\"? It\'s called the US Constitution. Go read it and tell me where it says you have the \"right to work\".

Also, if you want to give the draft an equivalent in the real world, it would be a job offer, not an interview process. The interview process would be the Bowls, the combine, but NOT the draft. No one drafts a player and then checks on his 40 times and Wonderlic.

And, that he\'s not elegible for the draft, does not mean that he cannot go to the combine, or hold private workouts for teams, nor it means that he couls not get picked up by a team as a free agent.

The quick answer for the NFL would be, make it an academic requirement, i.e., a prosepective employee (if you want to play the real world game) has to have at least 3 years of college education. Done deal.

Wasted youth
 

That wasn\'t sarcasm. I really do raise the white flag. There are three things that I will never get into an argument over- politics, religion, and law. They all give me tired head, and is not worth going through the frustration.
I believe that it isn\'t my place to tell this kid that he is or isn\'t ready to play in the NFL. That is for him to decide, and if anyone is foolish enough to use a 1st day pick on this guy, allow me to sit back and laugh at the team that does it. I could be negative, which is my initial reaction because of my love for college football, and say, \"hell no\", but if I put my own prejudices aside, I really can\'t see any reason not to let this guy in. If I was held accountable for everything I did in college, in my professional life, I\'d be holding a sign on your local street corner that says, \"I\'m not gonna lie- I need some beer!\" ;)

Wasted youth
 

My bad, then... habits from my old board.
Here\'s your beer... :)

Wasted youth
 

i hate the ruling against the NFL, as most people have already stated, guys in the nfl have mature bodies and coming right out of high school most kids havent matured physically nor mentally, this ruling is a disgrace to our country and our new favorite pastime..... the NFL

Wasted youth
 

Here are 2 rather common sense legal ideas that undermine Clarett\'s case.

1. How it is reasonable to allow a kid to go out for the NFL when he isn\'t of legal age to consume alchohol?

2. How is it reasonable to allow a kid to go out for the NFL when he isn\'t of legal age to enter a binding contract?

These are both public policy arguments, but I think there are all sorts of arguments for not allowing young-uns to play in the NFL that we uphold all the time in other areas.

Wasted youth
 

Somebody has been sneakin\' in to Loyola again. :P

Wasted youth
 

Yeah well, Rainbows are pretty in the middle of the night, you figure that out and you figure out what\'s wrong with the world today. No, I\'m not on drugs its just the after effects of watching the saints for so many years.

Okay, let\'s see everyone is saying how these young guys shouldnt be going pro, and even most of the nfl teams and execs are agreeing but we\'ll find out just how strongly they feel about that when the draft comes around, if Clarett is drafted higher than the 4th or 5th round I\'ll be highly dissappointed. GM\'s around the league have the responsibility to make their teams better and since they\'re the paid experts we\'ll see just what it is they do with this situation, Fitzgerald maybe but even he is not that great of a WR.

The only thing I like about this ruiling is that I dont have to keep hearing about Eli Manning everyday, I\'m sick of him and his brother. Neither were worth a flip in high school, college, and Peyton is going to be a Dan Marino for his career. All the pretty numbers in the world but cant win the big games, he\'s a choke artist whenever he plays a good defense.



[Edited on 12/2/2004 by NellyFord]

Wasted youth
 

This ruling has nothing to do with Clarett. It has to do with the legality of keeping a \"man\" from working.

At 18, you can go to war. Why can\'t you play football?

Wasted youth
 

Touchy. Jeesh. You just can\'t joke around with some folks. Noted, and ignored in the future. No problem here.

I\'ll let Halo and the others know you\'re interested in the job.

Finally (in an effort to accomodate) I\'m against the ruling. Everyone should be happy now.



[Edited on 12/2/2004 by ColdFusion]

Wasted youth
 

Well put Gator!

I couldn\'t have put it better myself (especially if I completely knew what I was talking about!) :D

I put \"man\" because he is of legal age to work but you\'re right, it\'s a trade issue. Some people keep saying that he can play in the CFL or Arena but it\'s not the same thing. They are the minor leagues.

[Edited on 12/2/2004 by SFinAustin]

Wasted youth
 

...so lemme ask you...
..since the judge wants to play real world with the NFL...
what\'s the difference between requiring a person be removed 3 years from High School and requiring a person to have say, 3 years of experience in a specific trade in order to be considered for a job?
How about educational restrictions? Why can\'t you be allowed to work in, say, the FBI, without a college degree? No one offers the same job as the FBI in the US.. right? So how can they disqualify a whole class, i.e., people without college degrees, from selling their trade?

Also, again, the NFL rule is a requirement for entering the draft, NOT to be employed by the NFL. As a player, you can sign to any team you can get into regardless... There are no restrictions to free agents for that matter.
Entering the draft does NOT guarantee a job. So if no one drafts Clarett, then what?
What about all of the other players who enter the draft and don\'t get drafted?

..all in all, this is just the ruling of a judge trying to feel mighty powerful he\'s sticking it to the NFL.. probably an ice capades fan...

Wasted youth
 

Question-

Would this be different if the NFL was paying the salaries and not the individual teams? It may be an ignorant question, but then again, I\'ve already stated that law isn\'t my strong point- that\'s what gator is for ;)

Wasted youth
 

I really don\'t see it a good thing for players too come into the NFL early. They really are not prepared for the hits there going too take. Not only that not mature enogh to take on the pressure of being celebrities. SEX, DRUGS,WOMEN all temptations.

Wasted youth
 

Whew... thanks gator. I think I\'m ready to sit for the bar.

No... wait... I meant that I\'m ready to sit at the bar.

I want to believe that this situation will take care of itself. The NFL is not basketball. Most college players can\'t make this leap until their junior year anyway because of physical limitations. And, draft picks are more valuable in the NFL. I don\'t see teams gambling too much on unproven underclassmen.

.02

Wasted youth
 

I don\'t think this ruling is a slippery slope issue like it may be for basketball or baseball. Most of the players in the NFL come from major schools in major conferences and come out after their senior year. Even then many don\'t make an impact in the NFL until they can become stronger, understand the NFL game, and adjust to the speed. I don\'t care how great a high school athlete is, he\'s getting jacked up on an NFL field. Further, with free agency like it is, it does basically no good for a team to draft an 18 year old and hope that in four years he can be valuable to the organization. Teams don\'t develop talent anymore - just look at how bad tackling is in the NFL and you\'ll see that. You\'re expected to know how and what to do without having to run tackling drills or be hand-held through terminology. To me it\'s like saying a high school kid who excels in Biology is ready for Med School. Not even close. Football players need pre-NFL experience just like a Med or Law student needs college courses to prep for graduate school and their career.

Wasted youth
 

That\'s the question. What is the requirement to be met to be qualified for the NFL. To be an Engineer, you have to pass the P.E.\'s exam. To be a Lawyer, you have to pass the bar. What would qualify him for the NFL? How would he be deemed prepared? Simply being three years removed from high school doesn\'t cut it.

Many college graduates don\'t make it in the NFL. I would like to see every college player finish school but who am I to say that they have to?

I don\'t see the judge just trying to stick it to the NFL though. What would be the point of that? Everyone has stated that if ever challenged, the rule would be overturned. Could that be because it is unconstitutional? Yes.