CFN: Herschel Walker to Play for Georgia in 08

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CFN has learned that college football legend Herschel Walker will rejoin the Georgia Bulldogs 26 years after his last carry thanks to a loophole in the NCAA rulebook that only cost players their eligibility for leaving for the National Football League. According to Walker, since he left for the upstart USFL, not the NFL, the rule did not deprive him of his final year of eligibility and the 1982 Heisman winner still has a year of eligibility remaining, and he intends to make history by using it.


Note the date of the article. Nice April Fool, the Georgia boards were in hysteria over this.
 
Actually even if the loophole existed, then it wouldn't work. The NCAA has a set of rules on how old you can be and how many years you have after high school graduation. Something like a maximum age of 27 on D! (think of someone who was in the milatary before college),,,
 
I'm not sure what the NCAA's rules are on age limits for participation in intercollegiate athletics. I do know that in 2007, Mike Flynt returned to play linebacker for one season at Sul Ross State University. He was 59 years old.

That's not a typo. Take a look at the March 2008 issue of Texas Monthly for a great article on the guy.
 
That was dated April 1.

Although there might be a loophole with regards to NFL, the other issue is that you have 5 years to complete your eligiblity from the date you step foot in a class room. Even if he left after his JR year and started laying brick, he couldn't come back 20 years later.

Per my understanding.
 
Yeah, I don't think there's any such rule about maximum age. Here's an article on Flynt:

The Link

And another story I remember from a few years ago, South Carolina's 40 year old ex-Army Ranger, Tim "Pops" Frisby:

The Link
 
I believe that it is an ameture/professional issue. I dont think that age has anything to do with it. I think that due to the fact that he has already played professional football, he has lost all eligability to play the same sport in college. Pretty good April fools joke though.
 
Flynt at Sul Ross was sanctioned by NAIA rules if I remember correctly. But, that is neither her nor there, the UGA thing is funny.
 
According to the Texas Monthly article I cited in my initial post, Mike Flynt's eligibility to play at Sul Ross was governed by the NCAA (p. 3). The article goes on to say he was permitted to play under Division III rules (p. 211).

Just to clarify in case there's any confusion with the Herschel Walker piece, which clearly was a joke, the Texas Monthly article is from the March issue of this year, so, no, it's not an April Fool's joke.
 
Yeah, totally illegal.

You can discriminate based on age or sex sometimes (though you pretty much never can based on race), but you have to show a legitimate state interest. The NCAA would have a really hard time showing one.
 
BIH,

Civil Rights Act (Title VII) prohibits discrimination based on age.

As for how the civil rights act was itself enacted, was based on the Constitutional power granted to Congress to regulate inter-state commerce. But more on that can be discussed in the West Mall...

However, age discrimination by private, non-governmental organizations is illegal.
 
Civil Rights Act (Title VII) prohibits discrimination based on age... in employment.

I'd like NCAA athletes to be considered employees, but they aren't.
 
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Homer said
This is obviously some first class Bull **** made up on the spot.

Actually it is not "made up on the spot" or BS. First the following is from the NCAA rules. They don't apply to the guy who played NAIA.

14.2.1 Five-Year Rule. A student-athlete shall complete his or her seasons of participation within five calendar years from the beginning of the semester or quarter in which the student-athlete first registered for a minimum full-time program of studies in a collegiate institution, with time spent in the armed services, on official church missions or with recognized foreign aid services of the U.S. government being excepted

This is how Weinke and others got in at an older age. They played baseball and the clock didn't start until they enrolled. However the NCAA also thought of that

14.2.3.5 Participation After 21st Birthday. In sports other than tennis and swimming and diving, any participation as an individual or a team representative in organized sports competition by a student during each 12-month period after the student’s 21st birthday and prior to initial full-time enrollment in a collegiate
institution shall count as one year of varsity competition in that sport. Participation in organized competition during time spent in the U.S. armed services shall be excepted.

Therefore unless you sat around and did noting after high school the clock eventually starts ticking. 21 years old + 4 years of any organized sport equals an effective age limit of around 25 unless you spent a few years in the milatary. The only way to start playing would be to graduate from high school and never show up in college or play a professional sport and then enroll late in life. I beleive the 21 year rule was added because of the Weinke situation. I am also almost 100% sure that prior to that there was a fixed limit of 25 or 27 but the new rule changed it.,
 
It was naia when the guy went to school there first time. Im sure thats why he was allowed to play. NCAA didnt govern their athletics then.
 
The rule says "organized sports competition... in that sport."

I don't think this is aimed at two-sport athletes, because if it were, Quan Cosby wouldn't still be playing football.
 
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