The Atlantic Coast Conference became the latest league to ban athletes from returning to college after pursuing a professional career.

The league's resolution passed Thursday by the conference's board of directors wouldn't prohibit ACC schools from putting on its roster former college players who:

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  • Declared for the NFL, NBA or WNBA drafts and didn't withdraw under NCAA requirements
    • Signed a contract to play in the NFL, NBA/G-League or WNBA, including contracts for NFL training camps or NBA Summer League
      • Were listed on a roster for those leagues

        The Southeastern Conference, Big Ten and Big 12 have passed similar rules in recent days in part because players who are being cut in the NFL are trying to return to college and finding favorable judicial rulings.

        “When you become a pro athlete, you surrender amateurism," NC State football coach Dave Doeren said Thursday. “That’s been forever and I don’t think that should be any different. To me, that’s kind of the cutoff. When a guy goes pro, then we say goodbye, good luck and we move on and there shouldn’t be the ability to come back.”

        The rule would impact someone like former North Carolina basketball player Seth Trimble, who went through the draft process and played in the NBA Summer League before committing to Louisville after a judge granted players in his high school class an additional year of eligibility. That decision is on hold at the moment.

        NFL teams will soon cut dozens of former college players, many who played last season, as they look to trim their rosters for the regular season, potentially opening the door for more lawsuits and roster chaos.

        "I think you'll see more leagues start to govern themselves since we're having such a hard time finding it at a national level," Duke football coach Manny Diaz said. "We can enjoy the fact that the players can benefit financially from playing in college now. At the same time, recognize the ultimate truth that we're not a professional sports franchise. We are a collegiate scholastic school activity and we've got to rein that in. I think that's just one small symptom of a greater problem where we are being legislated by individual judges."