The Lions found themselves right in the middle of college football’s latest eligibility mess Tuesday, and their players didn’t exactly come down on one side of it.
The issue has exploded in the wake of the Big Ten and SEC banning schools from signing players who declared for the NFL draft or signed with NFL teams. That move arrived just as the NIL era keeps reshaping everything, and the whole thing could still end up in court. For Detroit coach Dan Campbell, the situation is as tangled as it sounds.
“Well, look, from our perspective, it's crazy because you give the guy an opportunity and you're like, 'Hey man, this guy's got room to grow and is he going to make it, is he not? It's close,'" Campbell said.
"And then they leave. You try to develop a guy that just took off, I don't know.
But you put yourself in their shoes, I can kind of see that, too. If I'm that guy, that player, and I don't think I'm going to make it, I don't know, man.
It's crazy. It's unbelievable."
The conversation has real names attached to it. Dae'Quan Wright, who spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns, and Zxavian Harris, who signed with the New Orleans Saints, were both planning to step away from pro football and head to LSU this fall.
Wright signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent, then was claimed off waivers by the Browns on Aug. 11 before being waived over the weekend. Harris signed with the Saints after the draft and was waived Aug. 8.
Both players filed suit against the NCAA in Louisiana in hopes of getting a fifth year of eligibility after the governing body gave all Division I athletes five years to play over a five-year span, starting this season. Temporary restraining orders were granted, opening the door for both to return to college for a fifth season.
That possibility now sits under the SEC’s new rule, approved 16-0 with LSU among the yes votes. But around the Lions, the reaction wasn’t simple outrage or simple approval. It was more of a shrug and a nod at the reality of modern football.
Veteran cornerback D.J. Reed said he does not think players should be allowed to return to college once they’ve been through an NFL camp, but he also said he understands why some would want to.
“a lot of men have a lot of responsibility to take care of, so I understand it on both sides.”
“I can’t really speak on it cause I wasn’t in the NIL so if you’re an undrafted guy, a coach calls you and offers you a couple million dollars, from a business standpoint, that does make sense," Reed said. "So I can’t knock it now that we’re talking about it from a business standpoint. But just from being a football guy, it’s just a different mindset.
"My goal was always to go into the league. Even if - I don’t know, if I was at K-State and I was getting paid millions, I think I still would left my junior year just because the NFL’s always my dream and you don’t know how long you get to play football.
But that’s just me though. Everybody’s different."
Two undrafted Detroit rookies, offensive lineman Melvin Priestly and edge Anthony Lucas, said they never had any interest in going back to school, even before the SEC and Big Ten stepped in.
Priestly and Lucas, like Wright and Harris, had used up their eligibility after four college seasons last year. They were still eligible to return in some states because of court rulings extending a fifth year of eligibility to the class of 2022, matching the classes from 2023 onward.
Priestly said a few people recently brought the issue to his attention, though he wouldn’t say who.
“I’m focused on making the 53 [-man roster]," he said. "I want to be a Lion.
I’m going to be real with you, I don’t want to do no more school, so that [expletive] over with. But all jokes aside, yeah, I heard some stuff but I [didn't] think it was real 'cause I did four years but I see now everybody's talking about it, something obviously got to be true."
For Priestly, the decision is straightforward: he’s close to the NFL, and he’s not looking back. Still, he said the choice makes sense for players who get cut or want another year to develop before trying again.
“To be honest, I think everybody’s situation’s different," he said. "If you got an opportunity to go back and learn more, why not?
'Cause everybody worrying about how you look or you signed a contract. ... Nah, everybody’s situation is different.
You get cut from here or you’re not ready, you can play another year, develop some more and you already have the experience here. It’s just what your situation is."
The Lions close the preseason Saturday at Indianapolis against the Colts. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Lucas Oil Stadium.
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