Here comes the Harbaugh rule. After Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh took the Wolverines to Florida for a spring break practice last year, the Power Five conferences voted to prohibit such events. While teams can still practice off campus during winter breaks because that’s bowl season, they can longer do the same during spring breaks.
Autonomy conferences pass, 58 to 22, prohibition of off-campus practice during a vacation period outside the championship season. #NCAAConv
— NCAA News (@NCAA_PR) January 20, 2017
Last year’s practice at Bradenton’s IMG Academy drew a lot of attention from media, fans and recruits. However, the rule will not go into effect until the summer. So Michigan can go back to Florida this spring if they want to.
And then pretty soon after the University of Michigan will probably announce its new Tampa campus.
The proposal called for student-athletes to have the freedom of deciding how to use vacation time outside of the season. Most players spend summers working out with their teams, the final week of the regular season coincides with Thanksgiving, and bowl season can affect winter holiday plans.
Michigan AD Warde Manuel was against the proposal, and cited college basketball teams taking overseas summer trips as part of the NCAA’s hypocrisy.
Michigan AD Warde Manuel now speaking on this issue. "Not one complained about this being off-campus."
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) January 20, 2017
Michigan AD says what about basketball teams going overseas in summer? Why is spring break sacrosanct?
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) January 20, 2017
One experience sounds way more special than the other. Going to Europe is something most Americans want to do before they die, whereas Florida is simply where they go when they’re ready to die.
[MLive]
