Head Coaches are not allowed to visit high schools during the Spring to prevent "accidentally" bumping into prospects while visiting. Before Saban made a habit of it, head coaches were allowed to visit but were not allowed to talk to high school athletes.
Yeah. They actually had something called a "Bump Rule" If a coach accidental ran into a player he could briefly say hello but could not converse "in excess of an exchange of a greeting." Of course Saban used it as a loop hole and that had to be changed. Keiwone Malone's coach says Saban did not violate NCAA rule - al.com
LOL, new rule: No more then two coaches from the same staff be at the same school during the spring evaluation period. We affectionately refer to that new one, around Auburn here, as the "Tiger Prowl" Rule. Wear it proudly, at least now it looks like you're trying.
Regardless of Saban's motives, he makes some good points. Agents walk away scot-free in situations such as these. Its the players and the school who suffer the consequences. True, its on the players to stay out of those situations. But we all know the reality of the backgrounds many of these players come from. Is it asking too much to ask the NFL to make a reasonable effort to limit the temptations? Isn't it hypocritical for the league to turn a blind eye to the codes of conduct the NCAA demands of its athletes, but expect those same athletes to respect their (the NFL's) codes for conduct when they go pro? And while the NFL may not owe the colleges anything, its in their best interest to at least have some policy in place that would discourage agents from gumming up the system. Ultimately, as a scout said told ESPN Radio earlier today, its highly unlikely that 'Bama or any other school is going to ban NFL teams from campus. But if that were to happen, there's not a thing the NFL can do about it.
One rule was developed to stop a practice that was not constrained by any regulation currently in place. The other rule was put into place because a regulation in effect was proven ineffective. When enforcement became problematic steps were taken to decrease the likelihood of circumvention. There is a big difference between trying and trying too hard...
In other words, leave the bus and limousine at home. Sounds like you're preparing yourself for this year's results.
