Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany has been at the forefront of the discussion about the need for the “student” in student-athlete to become a bigger part of the equation in major D-I athletics. With Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh making waves with his team’s planned Spring Break trip to the IMG Academy in Florida, one would think Delany would have something to say.
Instead, Delany has taken a wait-and-see approach to the novelty that is Harbaugh’s Spring Break adventure for his team. According to CBSSports.com, Delany chose to go with the “no reaction at this time” line.
Other “Power 5” commissioners have weighed in on Harbaugh’s move, with SEC commissioner Greg Sankey pointing out time concerns and the fact that Spring Break is a time for all students on campus to get a break from all school-related activities.
NCAA president Mark Emmert clearly isn’t on board. He mentioned the goal of cutting back on student-athlete time demands and not ramping them up.
Is Harbaugh pushing the envelope? You bet he is, especially setting up camp in the facilities of a high school program created by an international sports agency. The whole thing is rife with recruiting red flags and pratfalls, but also gives the Wolverines a huge publicity advantage.
Clearly, some in the SEC and other conferences with warmer climates are worried about the recruiting side of things, but they are also making a legitimate point, one that Delany should also be standing up for, even if it goes against one of his marquee programs in the Big Ten.
Delany’s seeming indifference at this point is striking compared to his rhetoric on the issue of time and balance between being a student and an athlete just seven months ago at the Big Ten Football Media Days in Chicago. Delany took a pretty hard stance on what he sees as the biggest issue outside of the stipends that will now be in place for scholarship athletes.
Here’s what Delany said that day, via BTN.com:
“I think the biggest issue is to find that sweet spot where you can really execute the educational experience for the student-athlete and find the right balance between a student experience and an athletic experience in a way that allows lots of young people to have rich and sustainable experiences.”
Somehow the two statements made within a year of each other don’t exactly square. Given that football players get a grand total of four weeks a year when they aren’t accountable to the football program, perhaps Spring Break should be left as exactly that — a break.
