Why can a college football player, i.e. Jeff Samardzija play professional baseball and not lose eligibility?

Answer 1

That's a great question and all I could find and figure out is that in order to play in the minor league system, all college players in the league must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate and players are not paid in order to preserve their NCAA eligibility.

Answer 2

he can not. If he is getting padi as an athlete he will lose his eligibility. Jeremy Bloom lost his eligibility as a colorado football player because, while in the olympics as a mogul skier, he was paid for endorsements. He sued the NCAA and lost. I don't know anything about Samardzija playing baseball professionally though.

Answer 3

Coming out of high school I received a scholarship to play college football. I was also offered to play semi-pro baseball for pay for the summer prior to going to college. At the time, this was the late 70s, I checked with the NCAA and they told me that as long as I wasn't being paid for the sport I received the scholarship in (football) I was OK. By playing semi-pro baseball for pay I DID lose any eligibility to play college baseball though. I'm not sure if that is still the case now.

Answer 4

Who said Jeff Samardzija is playing professional baseball?

Answer 5

An athlete can professionally in one sport and play a different sport on the college level. As long as he doesn't take any commercial endorsements (like Jeremy Bloom), he is still eligible to play in college.

Answer 6

Jeff Samardzija is an insanely talented human being.

Answer 7

John elway did this in the 80"s,there were high schoolkids in my area did that and they would have lost lost eligibility

Answer 8

good question