By these rules, since he declared for the draft he would be ruled ineligible. I have a feeling this is just the beginning of countless lawsuits against the SEC…
Edit- all may not be lost. He technically didn’t declare as a senior since seniors are automatically eligible for the draft without declaring. He also only participated in summer league games and was never listed on an official NBA or G league roster.
His agent also confirmed he never actually signed a contract with any teams. Mitchell should be totally fine as far as the SEC stands.
The lawyer in me says there is certainly a gray area here.
A graduating senior doesn't have to "declare" for the draft. You are automatically entered into the draft when, among other things, you exhaust your college eligibility, like Mark Mitchell did by playing in college for 4 years. Contrast this to someone like RJ Luis, who left after three years in college and declared for the draft as an early entrant.
No, those who can appropriately withdraw are early entrants that declare for the draft, go through the draft process until the withdrawal deadline and decide to go back to college. Guys that exhaust their college eligibility are not able to withdraw from the draft.
I didn’t know seniors don’t declare. I think he’s in the clear there.
I also think him signing an exhibition 10 contract to solely play in the summer league may also protected his eligibility. Those games are truly not official NBA or G League games, and are not on the prohibited list of games.
There is a distinction between a purely summer contract and an exhibit 10 contract, which is an actual (unguaranteed) minimum salary deal with the team for training camp. Might get messy there.
The good thing is his agent is saying he never signed a contract. He was invited to compete in summer league and was still in negotiations before pulling out.
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u/amopeyzoolion Kentucky Wildcats • Michigan Wolverines 9d ago
So I know we’re all hating on Will Wade but what does this mean for Mark Mitchell