Since being dismissed from the University of Miami football team, defensive back Ray-Ray Armstrong has decided to hire a lawyer and sue the team for his dismissal. But that's not the right organization to be suing, according to one blogger. SB Nation's Bobby Wheel says that Armstrong has the opportunity to strike a serious blow to the college football hegemony of the NCAA:
So what Ray-Ray Armstrong should really allege is that the NCAA transfer limits that prohibit a player from joining another FBS team without waiting a year are an illegal restraint on trade. Considering the effect the rule will have on his draft stock, he can allege that its scope is not commensurate with the harm it seeks to prevent. And non-competes are usually given out to only the highest-level employees; it's not like the fry cook at McDonald's can't jump ship to Burger King. If Armstrong were that valuable to the University of Miami, wouldn't they pay him beyond an in-kind scholarship? Armstrong's lawyers should try to prove that the NCAA, in preventing players dismissed from FBS teams from playing for any competitor within one year of such dismissal, is acting like a plantation owner.
For more on the Hurricanes football program, visit The 7th Floor, SB Nation's Miami blog. For more on the Armstrong story, stay tuned to this StoryStream from SB Nation Tampa Bay.