Independence Day

This is a development that may be overtaken by future events, but it’s worth noting in the meantime, anyway.

The Atlantic Coast Conference announced Monday the elimination of the league’s intraconference transfer rule.

The decision was made by the league’s Board of Directors and was done so unanimously.

The ACC’s intraconference transfer rule was created by the membership in 1996 (excerpt of ACC Bylaws included below).

“The time has come for all student-athletes to have the opportunity to transfer and be permitted to compete immediately,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips. “This decision is in the best interest of our student-athletes as it allows greater flexibility during their collegiate career.”

Phillips is the former AD at Northwestern.  In that role, he opposed the unionization move that players on the football team spearheaded.  All that makes this quote ($$) all the more interesting.

“The freedom of movement is something that we all appreciate,” Phillips said Monday afternoon. “In your job that each of you have, if you want to move forward with a place who you’re working with, you can. At the higher education level, professors can move from school to school, teachers, instructors, students can move, coaches, ADs, commissioners can move, administrators can move. And a majority of programs can except for these five (football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, men’s ice hockey).

“It’s just time…”

It’s not that he’s saying anything particularly radical there.  It’s just that we’re so used to seeing a complete lack of common sense coming from college athletics administrators that it seems radical.  Who knows, maybe it’ll start a movement.

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