Cal football athletic director and general manager Ron Rivera made his stance plain Wednesday: he does not want players who head to NFL training camps to be able to circle back and reclaim college eligibility.
Rivera said the issue is still being weighed by the ACC, but his own view is firm.
“This is just my personal opinion, but I’m not a fan of it," Rivera said. “I think when somebody makes a decision, goes in a certain direction, they’ve made their decision.
“I’m not sure it’s a good message when you allow that to, `Oh, I’ve changed my mind.’ Once they start engaging, get involved, I think they need to be held to it.”
The debate has picked up after the NCAA announced new eligibility rules in June that give athletes five years to play five seasons. That change has already collided with the NFL world, with two players who had one year of college eligibility left leaving training camps and saying they plan to return to LSU.
The SEC, where LSU competes, and the Big Ten both moved Tuesday to block players from coming back to college after spending time with an NFL team. ESPN reported Wednesday that Big 12 athletic directors are unanimous in wanting to bar professional athletes from returning to college in any sport. The NFL also weighed in Wednesday, offering its own view on the situation.
Rivera, who played in the NFL, coached in the league and was an All-America linebacker at Cal in the early 1980s, said the shifting landscape is hard to reconcile with the traditional structure of college eligibility.
"I’m disappointed that people are looking for ways to cheat the system or beat the system,” he said. “I’d like to see a system that’s put in place and can really help.”
He added that the ACC is still sorting through its position.
“I know the ACC’s taking a nice, long look at it,” he said. “This is a very important decision and needs to be discussed.”
The issue has already created an interesting wrinkle for Cal’s season opener against UCLA. The Bruins appear set to have linebacker Trent Hendrick, who transferred to Westwood after playing at James Madison under new UCLA coach Bob Chesney.
Hendrick is not affected by the new rule because he is a fifth-year player and his situation is different, even though he reportedly was also being recruited by Cal.
Rivera also voiced support for Senate Bill 4668, the Protect College Sports Act, backed by Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.). The measure is aimed at creating national consistency for college eligibility and other rules and is scheduled for a full Senate vote next month.
“It’s important to save college athletics,” Rivera said. “It’s not just football.
It impacts the other sports. Here at Cal we have 30, and it impacts the other 29 as well.”
Even if a conference or Congress acts, Rivera acknowledged the fight could end up in court. Still, he said he wants a simple standard that makes sense for the broader good.
“What you’ve got to look at is what’s good for many, not just a few,” he said. “How long are we going to allow guys to come back and play college sports?
Until they’re 30? Let’s be realistic.”
Rivera said the current system can feed unrealistic dreams about the NFL, noting that only a little more than 1 percent of draft-eligible college players make it to the league.
“Let’s start looking at the numbers and start figuring this out,” Rivera said. “That maybe getting an education is a little bit more important right now.”
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