Just a few days ago, TJ Harden recovered a fumble and had a couple of red zone carries for the Seattle Seahawks in their preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys. Now, Harden’s next chapter could be playing… college football again?!
Why yes, Harden, who was waived by the Seahawks on Monday, plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal even though his college career seemingly ended this past season at SMU.
Now why would Harden be eligible to play college football when he’s completed four complete, redshirt-free seasons? Well, a Louisiana court ruling has opened the floodgates for many NFL players to make like Thornton Melon and go back to school. And this ruling may also affect Seahawks running back Anthony Hankerson, who just signed with the team and was part of the lawsuit against the NCAA.
ESPN’s Dan Murphy and Pete Thamel have done the legwork on this story, so here’s the background on this lawsuit:
The list of plaintiffs includes 16 football players, several who signed with NFL teams and participated in training camps earlier this month. Three of the players — Wright, Williams and former Oregon State running back Anthony Hankerson — are currently listed on NFL rosters for the Browns, Cardinals and Seahawks, respectively.
[…]
The lawsuit claims the NCAA is breaching its “covenant of good faith” by not giving these players the same opportunity to play for five years in college that past players received and future players will receive.
The NCAA changed its eligibility rules in June to allow athletes to play for five seasons within a five-year timespan which begins either when they enroll in college or in the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever comes first. The new rule eliminates most of the waivers players received in the past to extend their time in college sports due to injuries or other extenuating circumstances.
The previous eligibility rules allowed players to compete for four seasons during a five-year window without any specific age restriction. When they voted for the change, the Division I Board of Directors opted not to include outgoing seniors who played four seasons in their first four years in college even though they would have been eligible for a fifth season under the new rules. NCAA officials said they did not want a sudden influx of returning fifth-year players to take roster spots from incoming freshmen, many of whom had already signed on to play for their teams by the time the rule was changed.
That decision prompted the current wave of lawsuits that have come through state and federal courts. In several cases, judges have granted temporary restraining orders that allow athletes to compete in the upcoming season while their case is pending.
So not only is Harden on course for another year of college football, but so is Hankerson if he doesn’t get an NFL roster spot by the end of the month.
Just another example of the wildness and chaos that is the current stage of college sports.
