ACC commissioner criticizes Jim Harbaugh’s spring practice plan
ACC commissioner John Swofford does not approve of Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh’s plan to hold spring practice in Florida, reports ESPN’s Andrea Adelson.
Earlier this month, Harbaugh announced his plans for the Wolverines to practice over spring break at the IMG Academy in Florida in late February and early March. The SEC attempted to prevent the practices from being held, arguing that too much time was being demanded from student-athletes.
“As I told someone previously, it certainly is creative thinking but I do think it flies in the face of the whole national discussion of time demands,” Swofford told ESPN. “When you start considering taking a spring break away from a student-athlete and requiring a practice session wherever that might be, if we’re trying to move the student-athlete experience back toward a more collegiate experience — and it can’t be totally like other students that aren’t involved in intercollegiate athletics it’s understood — that would not seem consistent with the overall discussions about time demands and the student-athlete experience that’s taking place right now. At least that’s one man’s opinion.”
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Harbaugh seemingly tweeted about the issues last week, writing “You're allowed to cross state borders in my America.”
While SEC commissioner Greg Sankey did not respond to the tweet, he told AL.com that using spring break to hold practices is “not appropriate.” SEC coaches previously complained about Harbaugh’s decision to hold recruiting camps in the South.
The Wolverines finished the 2015 season with a 10–3 record, after defeating Florida 41–7 in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1.
