The NFLPA Board of Player Reps at its meeting last week voted to eliminate the so-called "Junior Rule,” sources said. The rule prohibits NFLPA certified agents from contacting college football players until they are three years past high school graduation. It was widely disliked by NFL player agents, who said it gave marketing agents and financial advisers the upper hand in recruiting top football talent. The rule was first passed in '07 under the leadership of late NFLPA Exec Dir Gene Upshaw. Upshaw said at the time that he was urged by college football coaches to install the rule to stop NFL player agents from visiting campuses early. But the rule has not stopped college juniors from declaring, with a record number of 65 underclassmen eligible for next month's NFL Draft (Liz Mullen, SportsBusiness Journal). NFLPA Dir of Communications Carl Francis said that "'recruiters' or 'runners' working for agents still cannot speak with college players at any time." He said that only "certified contract advisers can speak with players before their junior season." Proponents of repealing the rule said that it "keeps legitimate agents who can be better monitored away from underclassmen, while doing nothing to prevent those who have not been certified by the union from getting access to college players" (AP, 3/27).
PROPS TO THE PRESIDENT: Columnist Kevin Blackistone said new NFLPA President Domonique Foxworth is “really different, really cool." Blackistone: "You’re talking about a guy who made the most of being a student at the University of Maryland, by the way, where he graduated early and continued to take classes there, and a guy who’s done remarkably well doing different things. He enjoys reading, enjoys talking about politics, popular culture, got a hoodie on now for the Trayvon Martin protest. This is a really cool guy, and I’m glad to see him representing the NFLPA. He will do well” (“Around The Horn,” ESPN, 3/27).
