Alan Greenwood

One of the silliest myths on the planet is the notion that big-time college sports – the ones that generate hundreds of millions in dollars – are more about athletics than business.

Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh sailed directly into that headwind Thursday with a proposal to allow players to declare their eligibility for the NFL Draft. If a player goes undrafted he can return to school without having his spot on the team pulled out from under him.

“My first proposal is that we put this decision to `go or stay’ in the hands of the individual and his family, not in the form of an NFL, NFLPA or NCAA rule while allowing the player to return to college football if he does not sign,” Harbaugh wrote in an open letter now circulating on social media.

“The proposal described above would allow the individual to pursue his dream as a student and as a professional athlete in the time frame that best suits his best interests of his own free will and ability,” Harbaugh says.

As it stands, college football players are not eligible for the NFL Draft until “until three NFL regular seasons have begun and ended following either their graduation from high school or graduation of the class with which they entered high school, whichever is earlier.”

All life decisions present themselves as a gamble. If we pick the wrong path it’s on us.

When it comes to big-league draft rights we leave it up to the stakeholders. Colleges, the NCAA and TV networks are driven by their own profits. Sacrilegious as it may seem, those entities are not motivated to look out for the athletes’ best interests.

If a football star at Big-Time University suffers a debilitating injury on the opening kickoff of his sophomore season, they will offer hollow words of support, then stop thinking about the kid by the opening kickoff next week.

Let freedom ring for all athletes.

Contact Alan Greenwood at 594-1248 or agreenwood@nashuatelegraph.com.

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