Ex-NFL star Shawne Merriman gives take on pro players trying to return to college: 'Pretty ridiculous'

SEC Lawsuit Over LSU Eligibility Dispute Draws “Guardrails” Warning From Shawne Merriman

Former NFL linebacker Shawne Merriman is calling for clearer limits after the SEC filed an amended complaint in federal court in Alabama as part of its legal challenge involving LSU, Lane Kiffin and college football eligibility rules.

Merriman, a former Maryland Terrapins linebacker and first-round pick by the San Diego Chargers, said Tuesday that the return of former professional players to college football has reached a point where “there have to be guardrails.”

His comments came after the SEC, through commissioner Greg Sankey, argued in a Baton Rouge courtroom last week that LSU, Kiffin and members of the Tigers’ athletic department were restricting athletes’ First Amendment rights in the conference’s governance. The amended complaint, filed Tuesday morning in an Alabama federal court, reflects the conference’s push to take further action against LSU amid the ongoing dispute.

Merriman said he does not fault Kiffin for trying to build a winning roster at LSU.

“I’ve met Lane Kiffin plenty of times. I think he’s great. I got no problem for him wanting to win by putting whoever he can on the roster and making the situation better,” Merriman told OutKick. “But there have to be guardrails, because it won’t stop here if you don’t stop it now.”

The controversy centers on the growing number of players with professional experience seeking to return to college football for a fifth year of eligibility. Under NCAA rules, athletes generally have five years to use five seasons of eligibility, and that has created a pathway for players who played college football, entered the professional ranks and then tried to come back.

One example is LSU tight end Dae’Quan Wright, who played four years of college football before going undrafted and being cut by the Cleveland Browns. He is among the players attempting to return for another season in college.

Merriman said name, image and likeness deals and the transfer portal have changed the landscape of college athletics. He believes NIL compensation can be part of the modern game, but the current system has gone too far when former professionals return to Division I programs after short stints in the NFL.

“There has to be some guardrails with the transferring,” Merriman said. “Guys being able to take NIL money, then getting up to leave and go to another program. Now, it’s just kind of the tipping point where a former professional athlete can go back into college. It’s just too much.”

The NFL has also weighed in. According to the source report, the league sent a memo to its clubs reminding teams that players who return to college football would not be eligible to be signed during that season. The memo also indicated that such players would no longer be eligible for the NFL Draft and would have to join an NFL team in a future season as free agents.

Merriman said he expects the reaction from NFL teams and players would not always be public.

Asked whether teammates would object if a former college player returned and later made an NFL roster, Merriman said, “I think it’s going to be a silent yes.”

He said he does not believe many players or NFL organizations would openly criticize the move, even if some have concerns.

“I don’t think a lot of guys will be vocal to it. I even think the NFL is going to have a silence behind it but have a problem with it,” Merriman said. “There’s been plenty of guys through the past few decades or so that just didn’t cut it. For whatever reason, they didn’t make the roster. Maybe they got injured, maybe the coaching staff saw they didn’t line up with their scheme. Plenty of reasons, so why do you get an opportunity to go back and do something else and return?”

He said the issue raises questions about motive and integrity, even if those conversations happen away from the public eye.

“It’s a distraction,” Merriman said. “There’s a high-risk, low reward to get a couple of guys go out and go play. What about the rest of the team that’s got to answer questions? Instead of talking about the game, they’re talking about this.”

The dispute comes as LSU continues its season while pursuing a national championship. Merriman said the legal fight and debate over returning players could pull attention away from football.

“What about the rest of the team that’s got to answer questions? Instead of talking about the game, they’re talking about this,” he said. “So, I just think that the risk is just too high, and the reward is too low to fight this battle, especially now with the SEC and committee stepping in as a whole.”

Merriman’s concern is personal as well as professional. His son, Justin Merriman, is a highly regarded quarterback prospect in the 2029 class and a 6-foot-3 1/2 quarterback out of St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Maryland. St. Frances is ranked No. 2 among high school programs by MaxPreps.

Shawne Merriman said he is grateful to guide his son through a college football environment that is very different from the one he navigated before playing at Maryland and entering the NFL.

“He makes all his own decisions, but to be that resource for him and let him know some of this guidance and which directions to take has been really cool for me,” Merriman said.

St. Frances is scheduled to play IMG Academy on Nov. 13 at St. Frances in what Merriman believes could be the most-watched high school football game in the country this season. The matchup continues a rivalry between two of the nation’s top high school programs.