Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 21, 1990 TAG: 9006210492
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-5 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: OVERLAND PARK, KAN. LENGTH: Medium
The league's scouts have long had virtually unlimited access to check out college talent. But coaches, growing more concerned about demands on their players' time, are starting to ask for limits.
The Pacific 10 Conference recently told the NFL it would restrict scouts to one week in the spring and a month in the fall, and limit physical testing to three times after the end of the season.
And earlier this month, the College Football Association adopted a moratorium, saying NFL scouts are no longer welcome in film rooms and facilities of the 63 CFA member schools. Among other things, the CFA called for an end to NFL spring minicamps while classes are in session.
On Wednesday, Tagliabue came to NCAA headquarters to discuss the situation with Dick Schultz, the NCAA executive director, and four college coaches - LaVell Edwards of Brigham Young, Terry Donahue of UCLA, Dick Sheridan of North Carolina State and Hayden Fry of Iowa.
Tagliabue was joined by members of his staff, New Orleans Saints president Jim Finks and Dallas Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson.
Tagliabue and Schultz both expressed satisfaction with progress made in the talks, and the NFL commissioner said he hoped to have new policies in place by Aug. 1.
Tagliabue said the league has begun formulating ideas on rules to "eliminate the problem of too much intrusiveness of NFL clubs on college campus, or taking players away from college campuses in ways that may be unnecessary."
"We are going to go back and refine some of our thinking, make it more specific, start putting it in the form of league polices and then get reaction to it from our 28 members clubs," he said. "And I think by mid-July we hope to be able to put something out that would constitute at least a proposed policy, and by Aug. 1 have a policy ready to implement so that both the college and the NFL clubs could know what the rules are as they go into the 1990 season."
"The ball is pretty much in their court," said Schultz. "It's their rules. We are asking them to establish some rules comparable to what we have that they can live with and are acceptable to the colleges. I think they subscribe to that principle. We'll just have to wait and see what results."
Tagliabue said the NFL has been working closely with college coaches for 20 or 30 years, and that the policies now in effect on testing prospective draftees were developed in conjunction with a CFA committee.
Edwards said there was no discussion of any specific steps to end the CFA moratorium.
He added that the NFL would have to live with some of the same type of constraints that colleges must adhere to in recruiting high school players.
by CNB