Despite many disagreements with Harbaugh, Urban Meyer praises open letter

Despite being on the other side of the rivalry, the former Buckeyes head coach agrees with the Wolverines proposal for student-athletes.

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If there’s two people you expect to be less on one side of a pivotal issue, it’s those who coached against each other at Michigan and Ohio State. However, that’s where we currently find Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh and former OSU head man Urban Meyer.

Last week, Harbaugh penned an open letter to the football community — at the college and pro levels — proposing substantial change. He would like to see the NFL change its rule and thus allowing players to go pro at the time of their choosing, rather than having to wait three years after high school to do so. He has a lot of caveats involved — if the player isn’t drafted in the top 224 picks, they could return to school and continue playing. If they do leave early, they can go back and get their education with the cost remaining the university’s.

His proposal is deeper than that, but it’s drawn it’s share of detractors, despite putting everything in the hands of the student-athlete.

The Detroit Free Press writes:

But there seemed to be another angle to his draft proposal — one that was less altruistic.

It goes back to that old Latin question: Cui Bono? Who stands to gain?

Michigan does, of course.

PennLive:

Not only are Harbaugh’s proposals just, they can’t help but level the playing field a little toward what’s gone on in NCAA basketball for years. If the NBA had all this time been refusing to accept draftees until after three years in college, do you believe a program like Virginia could ever ace out one like Kentucky and win the national title?

No, I like all of his ideas. It’s just funny that Jim Harbaugh delivers this message as some sort of altruistic advocacy of the athlete when really it has a dual purpose: 1. Helping Jim Harbaugh; and 2. Helping Jim Harbaugh.

So, while some admit these are good ideas, they just can’t get past the man proposing them — despite the obvious benefits to those it directly affects.

However, Meyer doesn’t care much whether or not it was Harbaugh who proposed them. He doesn’t care whether it could ‘level the playing field’ between Michigan and Ohio State.

He sees the intrinsic value to the player here, and shared why he’s in full agreement with the Wolverines head coach.

“Well, as much as I sometimes get challenged on whether to agree with Coach Harbaugh or not, I thought it was a great letter,” Meyer said. “Some great points into it. There’s actually a group of coaches that have been having a conversation about keep (quid) quo pro, keep college college, eliminate – any time a player wants to go test the markets and go become a professional athlete, go do it.

“Zeke Elliott was unknown until he put his foot in the ground and he ran 85 yards against Alabama. His value went from zero to astronomical. He should be allowed to go the NFL right after that. He should. The thing I will talk about in a little bit is this name and likeness – how is this gonna work? Because you’re trying to take a square peg in a round hole – amateur and pro. If an athlete wants to go pro, go pro.”

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FOX Sports color analyst Joel Klatt agrees, likening the proposed changes to what some other sports currently have.

While he mentions baseball, hockey allows 18-year old players (by Sept. 15) to be drafted. They can still go to school, their rights belong to the team that drafted them until they’re ready to be called up. If they’re not drafted by the age of 20, they become free agents, capable of signing anywhere.

That’s a situation where student-athletes have control over their own destiny. At the moment, Klatt notes, the NFL doesn’t allow such a thing.

“I think what’s interesting to hear is we’re allowing the NFL to sit back and dictate all the rules and then college football is left with the mess and they’re trying to clean everything up,” Klatt said. “Let’s be very clear: the reason that kids cannot go to the NFL is because of an NFL rule that deems they are not eligible until three years after their high school graduation. That’s an NFL deal and then college is then left with the mess. So everyone that says, ‘Hey, college is holding these guys down, it’s the NCAA.’ It’s not necessarily the NCAA, it’s the NFL. I think that’s what Jim Harbaugh is trying to bring to light.

“I’m a proponent of everything he talked about because it reminds me — Coach, you and I both experienced this being baseball players – of the Major League Baseball draft. You see, in baseball, what happens is, everyone’s eligible to be drafted unless you’re at a four-year institution. So you can be a high school graduate, a junior college player or after your third-year at a four-year institution, then you’re eligible to be drafted. Then, that entity, the Major League Baseball team has to deem whether you’re able to help them, No. 1. and No. 2 if you’re signable. So the onus is put back on the MLB organization. That’s where I think the onus should be in football is on as well. The NFL needs to step up and take some responsibility on this issue, and if they were able to do that I think it’d be cleaned up for everybody.”

While Meyer further agrees, he notes that it isn’t just the players who make decisions. Sometimes there are family members or consigliere’s who coax them into making questionable ones.

As Meyer says, Harbaugh’s plan allows for both worlds — the good and bad. However, in the case of the bad, given the ability for players to return to their team if they don’t get picked up in the draft, his plan cancels out the bad actors in particular entourages.

“Make no doubt about it, there will be plenty of players, student-athletes that will get hurt and hurt badly from this,” Meyer said. “I know everybody wants to go pro. The reality is that the NFL is very, very, very hard. And what’s gonna happen is guys are gonna get agents, they’re gonna get those third uncles that say, ‘Go to the NFL.’ I’ve dealt with it at least a hundred times. And they don’t get drafted and they gave away a free education.

“Jim Harbaugh is sitting back and saying if they go one year, they get one year. They go two years – I thought that was pretty well thought out. Last thing he said that – I thought it was tricky now – if you say they’re allowed to come back and they don’t go in the top 224 – and I think that’s pretty appealing – however, how does a college coach manage his numbers now? His answer was eliminate the 25-hard (scholarship) rule, which is the initial. So it’s a very well-thought out letter and I think if athletes want to go pro, go pro.”

Watch the full discussion here:

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