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SEC Asks NCAA To Block Michigan's Spring Practice In Florida, Citing Time Demands

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey has asked the NCAA to "prohibit college football teams from holding spring practice during spring break," according to Dennis Dodd of CBSSPORTS.com. The move is "obviously a direct response to Michigan's recent announcement that it would conduct part of its spring practice" at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. No current NCAA rule prohibits Michigan's plan, but a source said that an effort similar to Michigan's "will most likely be prohibited in the near future." However, the source said that a decision "is not expected to be handed down in time to prevent the planned trip to Florida." Sankey: “Our primary reaction (is) that, in the face of the time-demand conversations, we've got one program taking what has been 'free time' away. Let's draw a line and say, ‘That's not appropriate.'" Dodd noted time demands "were the focus of last month's NCAA Convention; however, several proposals were tabled for study." Sankey said he also is concerned Michigan would be at a “site full of prospects run by a business enterprise that has a lot of interests -- but one of those is sports agents. It seems like very much the wrong tone" (CBSSPORTS.com, 2/9). ESPN.com's Edward Aschoff noted FBS players "are allowed a maximum of four weeks off per year and the NCAA grants a maximum of 20 hours per week for student-athletes to spend in their respective sports and no more than four hours per day." UM's trip to IMG "would account for one of those four off weeks." The SEC is "challenging Michigan's attempt to essentially take away what is traditionally an off week for athletes, leaving them less time to rest and step away from the sport" (ESPN.com, 2/9).

CALL IT LIKE YOU SEE IT: ESPN's Jay Bilas notes the SEC's stance is in part about "trying to stave off some lawsuits and being able to claim in court that we are protecting the student-athletes' time demands." But Bilas also noted it is "about recruiting." He said, "Jim Harbaugh has been having satellite camps, sleepovers. He's making inroads in recruiting, and Greg Sankey ... basically said that if this is going to be the way things are going, and this is going to be a recruiting advantage, the SEC will do it, and we'll do it better. They're basically saying we think this is unreasonable, but if you want unreasonable, we'll lead the nation in unreasonable. I think it's much ado about nothing. Let the schools do what they want. It's not that big of a deal" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 2/10).

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