College and professional sports

Gene Upshaw, president
NFL Players Association
Washington Post

Discussing the NFL's appeal of a federal judge's decision in February to overturn an NFL policy restricting draft eligibility to players three years removed from high school:

"This is not just about Maurice Clarett. He just happens to be the name on the lawsuit. I've told him that. I said, 'This is nothing personal between us and you.' What is personal is we believe there should be requirements that kids stay in school for a certain amount of time. And we also believe there is a safety issue.

"You can't just decide that you're going to be a carpenter. We've got to know if you know hammers from nails."

David Stern, commissioner
National Basketball Association
Washington Post

"I'm not arguing the fact that LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant and Jermaine O'Neal and a long list of able, mature young men can't play and contribute in the NBA at a young age. It's just that I really would have preferred not to be a societal magnet for millions of kids who are thinking that the answer to all of their career aspirations is the NBA, with the egos, and people surrounding them telling the NBA is their ticket, and that that's what they should be concentrating on, when you know statistically most kids aren't ever going to make it."

Early enrollment

Nate Hybl, football student-athlete
University of Oklahoma
Fort Lauderdale (Florida)Sun-Sentinel

Discussing the idea of enrolling early in college in order to become acclimated more quickly to the college environment and to perhaps gain a competitive advantage over freshmen who traditionally arrive in August:

"Hindsight is 20-20, but for me, if I had to do it over again, I wouldn't have done it. I missed out on properly saying goodbye to a lot of people. I missed a lot of time with my friends -- just high-school memories. There's a small void in my brain because I missed out on some special times with a lot of people I grew up with. I'm not even sure what I missed out on because I missed out on it."

Five/eight rule

Ron Wellman, athletics director
Wake Forest University
Atlanta Journal Constitution

Discussing the recently rescinded "five/eight rule" that restricted men's basketball coaches from signing more than five initial counters in a given year and more than eight in a two-year period:

"I don't think the unintended consequences of the rule were really thought out. A number of institutions were caught in situations beyond their control, some of those tragic situations. Still, the university was penalized for that, and that was wrong."

Lute Olson, head men's basketball coach
University of Arizona
Atlanta Journal Constitution

"It wasn't a rule that was in the best interests of college basketball. The presidents got sold a bill of goods by some people, I think."

Tom Herrion, head men's basketball coach
College of Charleston
Sports Illustrated

"The pool of players is definitely going to be smaller now for the mid-major schools. I think that rule is a major reason why we've seen so much parity the last few years."