Big Ten bans former professional players from college football competition

Power conferences are cracking down on professional players attempting to return to college. The Big Ten has announced its unanimous adoption of a rule to prevent football players “who have signed a professional contract, were on a professional roster at any point, or declared for the NFL draft as an underclassman without withdrawing” from returning to compete within the conference. Following the Big Ten’s statement, the SEC shared that it would be implementing the same policy for both football and basketball.

The SEC and Big Ten have taken major steps to prevent former professional athletes from returning to college sports after gaining additional eligibility through recent legal rulings. The Big Ten passed a new rule Tuesday preventing football players who have moved into professional football from returning to compete for one of its schools. Under the…

The Big Ten unanimously passed a rule on Tuesday that will prevent NFL players from returning to college and suiting up for a team in the conference, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.

The conference unanimously voted to prohibit athletes with pro contract history, roster experience, or unwithdrawn NFL draft declarations from competing at member schools, while signaling more multi-sport restrictions could follow.