It looks like the NCAA is finally going to take a realistic look at the farce that says a high school or college player can't have a profession negotiator (agent) on their side as they look at the possibilities of signing a professional contract.
Here is an article posted on Baseball America's website (free content)
Agent Rules Under Microscope
The NCAA is finally having another healthy discussion—a long-overdue examination of its rules regarding agent-athlete interactions. Prompted by some high-profile football cases this year, Poppe( NCAA's vice president for baseball and football) said the NCAA is conducting a comprehensive study of agents' roles across different sports.
After years of denying the simple truth that almost every drafted baseball player has an agent who communicates on his behalf with professional teams (in violation of the NCAA's "no agent" rule), the NCAA suddenly seems ready to acknowledge that its rules are in direct conflict with baseball's industry norm.
"I often say if I had a son who was lefthanded and threw 95, I'd want to know what his worth was," Poppe said. "I've been in the business a long while, and I wouldn't know what it would be. So we need to provide somehow within our rules an opportunity for a young man to be informed and still not professionalize himself, which may require a review of our current regulations. And I'm not saying this is going to happen, but it may require a more federated approach for each sport, because there are distinct differences.
"It's a long way of saying it's a major issue. We're looking at the differences between sports, ways that we can still maintain the principles of college athletics, but most importantly make sure these kids are informed. They've got to make a decision, and they've got to have information. How can we do that within our rules without causing them to violate the rules?"
In August, 2008, Poppe told BA that he thought the vast majority of players were not breaking the "no agent" rule. Major league scouting directors have told BA repeatedly that they go through an agent while negotiating with almost every player they draft—including those that do not sign. On Thursday, Poppe didn't deny it.
"We all know what's going on in the real world," he said. "Let's just make it right."
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