NCAA President Mark Emmert’s decision to rule out satellite camps has come under scrutiny of athletes, coaches and athletes’ parents (Photo: USA TODAY Sports Images)
When the NCAA voted to ban “satellite camps,” it cut out the means of broader exposure for a number of top recruits. Now the mother of one of those teens has started a formal online petition to overturn the NCAA’s decision.
Donovan Peoples-Jones is a five-star wider receiver at Detroit power Cass Tech. He considered one of the nation’s top-5 overall prospects and the best wide receiver in the Class of 2017. He’s a stud and his mother, for one, believes that the elimination of satellite camps will significantly limit the opportunities many have to receive recruiting attention from major programs in other parts of the country.
Here’s Jones’ mother Rozlyn Peoples kicked off her action against the NCAA on the website Change.org:
“On Friday April 7th The SEC, ACC, PAC12, BIG12, Sunbelt and MWC conferences voted not to allow FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) coaches to work camps at sites away from their campuses. This new rule will restrict and reduce educational opportunities for high school students and their parents by lowering the opportunities for youth to showcase their athletic talents and earn a college scholarship. If college coaches are only allowed to work camps on their campus there will be far less scholarship offers to high school students in the summer of 2016. This will in turn have a disproportionate impact on parents in the class of 2017.”
Peoples has a point, even if it doesn’t apply to her son. To that end, the petition set out to receive a total of 10,000 signatures, with some 9,000 signing during the petition’s very first day. Whether or not that is enough to inspire Mark Emmert and co. to take another look remains to be seen, but it’s certainly an aggressive and progressive step by a woman who has seen firsthand what being recruited by big time programs can do an athlete and human being.