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Scarbinsky's article today sheds light on the whole inequitable NLI program...Other than O'Brien's situation, he sites Memphis' side deals with players and Calipari leaving for Kentucky; UAB's refusal of a side deal with Cousins and UAT refusing Knox.

The whole article is here: http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/...ation.html

Quote:If a student-athlete wants a release from his NLI (National Letter of Intent) and his school won't grant one, the student-athlete can appeal to the NLI Policy and Review Board. The board's decision is final.

The board recently reviewed the appeal of basketball player Todd O'Brien. He graduated from St. Joseph's this summer and enrolled in graduate school at UAB, where he hoped to play this season as a graduate transfer, as Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson is doing after graduating from North Carolina State with a year of eligibility left.

St. Joseph's would not grant O'Brien's release, and he appealed to the NLI Policy and Review Board. The board denied the appeal, which means O'Brien is not eligible to play this season at UAB and can't accept athletics-related financial aid. If nothing changes, his playing career is over.

Jackson, the Montgomery attorney representing O'Brien and his family, said the O'Brien case shows that student-athletes are bound to their schools by two sets of similar rules: NLI rules and NCAA transfer rules.

NLI rules begin when a prospective student-athlete signs a National Letter of Intent. Transfer rules kick in after a student-athlete has been enrolled in a regular term or has reported to practice...

O'Brien's case is different because St. Joe's has refused to release him to play at any other school. St. Joe's would not make coach Phil Martelli available for an interview.

"You're seeing a worst-case scenario of how binding these agreements are," Jackson said. "They even bind you after you graduate. The NLI obligates the student-athlete for their entire careers. On top of that, if he decides to transfer during his window of eligibility, the school has total control over where he can transfer to."

Quote:There is a simple way around the National Letter-of-Intent. A prospective student doesn't have to sign one to play college football, basketball or any other sport.

It says so on the official NLI website: "The NLI is a voluntary program with regard to both institutions and student-athletes. No prospective student-athlete or parent is required to sign the National Letter of Intent, and no institution is required to join the program."

So why do so many players and schools play along? The NCAA says 620 of its member institutions participate in the NLI program.

"The problem is," Jackson said, "the vast majority of student-athletes and their families are not knowledgeable enough about the process to make an informed decision.

I suppose there's no need to say it, but this sucks. The kid is getting screwed for no better reason than that his ex-coach is a prick.

For well over 99% of athletes, the signing of the NLOI is worthy of newspaper space and TV coverage that the kid and his family would normally never get on such an individual basis. The ego factor is a strong one and the colleges take advantage of it to get the deed done. What SHOULD be done is to unite the athletic scholarship and the NLOI into one document with each dependent on the other for validity. If a school voids the scholarship, it would also void the NLOI at the same time.

OBrien is still on the roster.