Feb. 25--Roll your eyes if you must. The Big Ten seems serious about creating a national conversation regarding a "year of readiness" -- code for making freshman ineligible, as they were until 1972.
Big Ten athletic directors, faculty reps and some student-athletes discussed the issue at conference headquarters in Rosemont on Monday and Tuesday.
"The Big Ten is not asking that this be a new policy," Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips said by telephone. "This is a call to have a conversation about a year of readiness -- and student-athlete time demands and (the length of) playing seasons and practice seasons. And initial eligibility requirements."
Phillips said the athletic directors now will discuss those issues with their presidents and chancellors. NCAA legislation would pass only if every conference is on board.
Also up for debate -- the graduate-student transfer rule that has turned fifth-year students into quasi-free agents. And the fact that more than 450 Division I football players enrolled early so they could participate in spring practice.
Asked if he seriously could picture freshmen ineligibility, Phillips replied: "I think everything is on the table. ... It's time for a recalibration and re-correction of where were going in college athletics."
As Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany put it Sunday on BTN: "We're trying to figure out a way to communicate that education comes before athletics. We don't want to be a minor league for the NBA and the NFL. ... College sports need to be about college. The educational experiences need to be real."
Northwestern football coach Pat Fitzgerald applauds that but said he is wary of "unintended consequences."
"When there's structure put in guys' lives, they usually tend to do pretty well," he said. "When they have a lot of time on their hands, the four-letter word creeps in and they get lazy. It's just human nature. I don't know if I was ready to play my freshman year, but I was the best of the worst, so I had to play. I think that made me a better sophomore. But I would have loved the opportunity to redshirt, too, because I would have loved to go to grad school here."
Extra points: Seven Northwestern players will miss spring ball with injuries, including offensive lineman Matt Frazier, defensive tackle Greg Kuhar, linebacker Drew Smith and cornerback Parrker Westphal. Safety Traveon Henry, defensive tackle Sean McEvilly and offensive lineman Geoff Mogus will be limited. All players are expected to be OK for summer training camp. Spring practice opens Wednesday.
tgreenstein@tribpub.com
