Petition started to overturn NCAA’s ban on satellite camps

A petition whose goal is to overturn the NCAA’s recent ban on satellite camps has been posted to Change.org and has nearly 5,000 signatures already.

The petition was initiated by one Rozlyn Peoples whose son, four-star wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones, currently attends Detroit’s Cass Technical High School. Ms. Peoples’ petition called out the NCAA’s ruling as non-advantageous to young recruits in that it would cut down on the number of scholarships given out in the near future.

“On Friday April 7th The SEC, ACC, PAC12, BIG12, Sunbelt and MWC conferences voted not to allow FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) coaches to work camps at sites away from their campuses.  This new rule will restrict and reduce educational opportunities for high school students and their parents by lowering the opportunities for youth to showcase their athletic talents and earn a college scholarship. If college coaches are only allowed to work camps on their campus there will be far less scholarship offers to high school students in the summer of 2016.  This will in turn have a disproportionate impact on parents in the class of 2017 because:

“1.  The effective immediate date of the NCAA ruling means they will not be able to see multiple college coaches the summer prior to their last year of high school

“2.  The conflicting institutional camp schedule makes it impossible for students to attend multiple camps

“3.  The majority of students and parents that this affects come from financially disadvantaged backgrounds.”

Ms. Peoples’ points are spot on. The NCAA’s ruling on satellite camps seemed to be a knee-jerk reaction to the SEC not taking kindly to Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh holding satellite camps in the southeast last summer as well as a week of spring practice at Florida’s IMG Academy last month, a known SEC recruiting hotspot. Though multiple conferences voted in favor of the decision, it definitely will hurt recruits’ chances of showcasing their talents for programs that might not otherwise recruit them.

And given how expensive it is to travel in the U.S., plus the fact that there has been such public outcry over the decision, don’t be shocked if the voices behind this petition grow louder in the near future.

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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports

Players finally paid for old ‘NCAA Football’ games
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