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NFL to Not Allow Academically Ineligible Players to Participate in Combine?

USA TODAY Sports

A report dropped over the quiet long holiday weekend that the NFL could take a drastic step in dealing with academically ineligible players.

The NFL is considering not inviting players who are academically ineligible in college to the scouting combine, a league source told CBSSports.com.

This feels like a total PR stunt. Academic success or failure is at best an indirect indicator of success playing in the NFL. When it is meaningful, it is usually emblematic of a bigger issue. This punishes the teams, not the players. Teams are not going to shy away from being interested in academically ineligible players. Plenty of bad students thrive in pro ball. This rule would simply rob the teams of their best chance to test measurables in a controlled environment.

It feels like the league put this out as a trial balloon to see how people reacted. I do not expect such a ridiculous idea to ever gain traction.