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In a message dated 1/5/2004 2:45:56 AM Eastern Standard Time,
dezigna@... writes:
On a different note, I bet it is near impossible to play professional
(American) football without going to college - since the pros all seem to
have been college players. Makes me think of "Forrest Gump". I guess he was
doing Home Economics.

Robyn L. Coburn


I asked my son (the rabid, uh I mean avid sports fan) about this. He said
there is an age requirement to play football in the NFL. Just last year someone
sued to be eligible for the draft on the basis of age discrimination. He
lost his lawsuit. He says there is no actual requirement that you EVER play
college football, BUT... if you get out of high school a superstar, you're not
going to sit around waiting for the magical age in two or three years in order to
enter the NFL draft.

He says he thinks it's a good thing, bodies need to mature, they'd be killed
in their first game, as in broken necks and backs... of course, he's a
baseball player, who could draft right out of high school.

But truthfully I can see there is more potential for injury in football than
in basketball or baseball or some of the other sports. But even if you are 22
or 32 football is still the same game right?

glena


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Fetteroll

In a message dated 1/5/2004 2:45:56 AM Eastern Standard Time,
dezigna@... writes:
> On a different note, I bet it is near impossible to play professional
> (American) football without going to college - since the pros all seem to
> have been college players.

My husband backs up what Glena's son said. There isn't a college requirement
but there are restrictions for NFL (can't be less than 3 years out of high
school -- not sure what they'd do about homeschoolers!).

He said Eric Swann of the Arizona Cardinals played semi-pro football instead
of college.

Just as an aside, he said the NFL will say the age restriction is about
protecting young bodies that aren't ready for the rigors of pro football,
but that in reality the NFL wants to protect the college system that
develops their players for them. The NFL doesn't have a minor league system
like hockey and baseball so college is essentially their minor league.

Joyce

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In a message dated 1/6/2004 6:23:23 AM Eastern Standard Time,
fetteroll@... writes:
(can't be less than 3 years out of high
school -- not sure what they'd do about homeschoolers!).


Actually I think it's now about a specific age, I believe he told me you have
to be 21, because that is what the kid sued based on last year. Age
discrimination, they wouldn't allow him to be drafted because he wasn't old enough.
This was a kid that was suspended from college play because of a criminal
charge of falsifying a police report to indicate more items were stolen from his
vehicle than he actually had, or something to that effect. My son, the fount of
knowledge on this subject, and who gave it ALL to me yesterday, is still
sleeping.

So if he couldn't stay in school and play football, well he COULD stay in
school, just not play football, he wanted to be drafted, teams were interested,
his coach was interested in getting him drafted. But it didn't happen.

glena


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Robyn Coburn

I guess I was just trying to lightheartedly note that here was a profession
virtually requiring college, but not requiring any degree at the end of it.
College as a means to an end. I suppose a homeschooler interested in being a
pro-footballer would be desirous of attending a college with a good football
team.

Robyn L. Coburn



<<My husband backs up what Glena's son said. There isn't a college
requirement
but there are restrictions for NFL (can't be less than 3 years out of high
school -- not sure what they'd do about homeschoolers!)......>>
but that in reality the NFL wants to protect the college system that
develops their players for them. The NFL doesn't have a minor league system
like hockey and baseball so college is essentially their minor league.






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]