The SEC and Big Ten conferences voted unanimously to ban athletes with professional experience from playing college sports, setting up potential legal battles after court orders briefly opened the door for former NFL players to return to campus rosters.
FOX 13 Tampa's own description from its feed. We collect headlines and these descriptions, not full articles; read the original reporting below.
Developments in this update
5 dated developments, oldest first, newest marked. Each is named by one outlet's own headline; open its reports to see every outlet that covered it.
SEC joins Big Ten in banning pros from returning to college, including basketball players
Headline from Myarklamiss ·
An NFL player coming back to college? It could happen, and here’s why
Headline from Anchorage Daily News ·
NFL says players who return to college will be ineligible to play in 2026 as ACC, Big 12 weigh topic
Headline from Fox32 Chicago ·
Names this update
SEC, Big Ten vote unanimously to ban former pros from returning to college sports
Headline from FOX 13 Tampa ·
Newest
Push to Ban NFL Players From College Football Playoff Gaining Momentum
A recent rule passed by the NCAA has resulted in confusion, lawsuits and the once-unthinkable notion of players leaving college, signing with NFL teams, and now leaving those teams to head back to college
A recent rule passed by the NCAA has resulted in confusion, lawsuits and the once unthinkable notion of players leaving college, signing with professional teams and leaving those teams to head back to college.
The NFL logo is shown the field before the start of a preseason NFL football game between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026.
The Big Ten became the first conference Tuesday to adopt a rule prohibiting football players who have signed professional contracts from returning to play at its schools as college sports finds itself mired in lawsuits and disputes over eligibility.
The Big Ten has become the first conference to ban football players who have signed professional contracts from returning to play at its schools. This decision comes amid lawsuits and eligibility disputes in college sports.
The Big Ten has banned NFL roster players from returning to compete at conference schools, though the rule does not affect other conferences like the SEC, where coaches have already recruited NFL players back to college.
The Big Ten became the first conference Tuesday to adopt a rule prohibiting football players who have signed professional contracts from returning to play at its schools as college sports finds itself mired in lawsuits and disputes over eligibility.
The Big Ten became the first conference to adopt a rule prohibiting football players who have signed professional contracts from returning to play at its institutions amid ongoing eligibility disputes across college sports.
The Big Ten became the first conference Tuesday to adopt a rule prohibiting football players who have signed professional contracts from returning to play at its schools as college sports finds itself mired in lawsuits and disputes over eligibility.
Combined, it leaves little doubt about where the nation’s two biggest conferences stand in the wake of court orders that were allowing players who had been on pro rosters.
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) has adopted a policy that will prohibit member schools from rostering athletes who declared for a major professional draft without signing a professional contract or appearing on a professional roster.
The Southeastern Conference passed a rule Tuesday banning players who have been drafted by NFL, NBA or WNBA teams or listed on rosters in those leagues, joining the Big Ten in taking a strong stand against this month's unexpected surge of pro players trying to return to college.
