Dae’Quan Wright was about to drop some bonkers football history, man. The former Ole Miss tight end was on track to be the very first player to hit the college gridiron *after* being rostered by an NFL team, specifically the Cleveland Browns, who had just released him. He was set to link up with head coach Lane Kiffin, presumably at LSU. But then BAM! The SEC dropped the hammer, joining the Big Ten in banning players who’d already signed an NFL contract from playing in their conferences.
The SEC and Big Ten Just Shut Down a Wild Ride
This whole saga kicked off because Wright was among sixteen former college football players who sued the NCAA. They were fighting for an extra year of eligibility and, get this, they actually got a temporary restraining order! That order was supposed to let them play college ball in 2026. Naturally, opportunistic college head coaches, like Kiffin, were already sniffing around, looking to add NFL-signed players to their rosters. Talk about a loophole! But the SEC, following the Big Ten’s lead, just pulled the plug on that whole idea. It’s unclear if other conferences will jump on board, but with courts still having their say, this whole thing is far from over.
NFL Circles Are Confused and Calling It a ‘Mess’
So, how are the NFL bigwigs feeling about this college chaos? Let’s just say it’s not great, bob. One NFL scout didn’t pull any punches: “They really have to get their s— together.” The scout called the NCAA “the Wild Wild West” where “the rules are changing every day.” This latest ruling, sparked by court decisions in Colorado and Louisiana that seemed to allow NFL players who entered college in 2022 to get a fifth year, just adds to the confusion. The Big Ten went against those courts and banned the returns. The SEC said it opposed the rulings but wouldn’t stand in the players’ way, only to then ban them. What a mess, right?
That same scout brought up the ripple effects, too. Remember all that NIL cash? “All that NIL money was bad enough. It basically wiped out the talent in the later rounds of the draft because too many marginal players could afford to stay in school.” And now? “But now we’re going to have guys who would’ve stayed on the practice squad leaving too? We’ll spend 3-4 months investing in their growth, developing them as a player, only to watch them go back to LSU?” You can practically feel the frustration. An NFL executive texted, “It all looks bad. But we don’t know where all this is going yet. It feels like just the beginning of a really big mess.”
While the source mentions not everyone in the NFL is hitting the panic button, the overall vibe is pure chaos and confusion. This situation with Wright and the other players has definitely caused some major head-scratching around the league. Keep an eye on the courts, because this legal battle is far from over, and the NFL is bracing for whatever craziness comes next.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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