"What an absolute disaster": Fans rip NCAA's latest move around National Letter of Intent program

On Wednesday, the NCAA Division I Council approved a motion to eliminate the National Letter of Intent program. This program started in 1964 and is a binding agreement used by recruits and schools to show commitment to each other. With this program eliminated, schools are expected to use financial aid and scholarship agreements to recruit players.

This change comes as the NCAA has been undergoing seismic changes in recent years related to amateur rules. The introduction of NIL money allows players to make money off of their name, image, and likeness when it would previously eliminate their eligibility.

The elimination of the letter of intent is another step on the path of player empowerment in the NCAA.

While this change is popular among many fans and players, some are less excited. Many prefer the old system and have expressed their displeasure on Twitter:

"What an absolute disaster," one fan commented.

"Somehow the NCAA is only capable of making decisions that make college athletics more unstable and chaotic..." one fan wrote.

"I don't think there is any news that could break about college football that would qualify as "shocking" anymore," one fan added.

Other fans were less disappointed in the change but commented on how the elimination of letters of intent could change the college sports landscape.

"So college sports is basically pro sports junior.... let's give each team a salary cap," one fan commented.

"College sports is professional sports. These are free agents. They don't need to do commitments or sign letters of intent. They're going to sign contracts and will have agents," one fan wrote.

"They also need to get rid of athletes announcing commitments until the day of signing. It's a dead and played out tradition," one fan added.

How long has this plan to eliminate the National Letter of Intent Program been in the works?

Although there have likely been talks to eliminate the program for much longer than information has been public, the Collegiate Commissioners Association met to discuss the proposal for the first time in September.

Previously, when players signed a letter of intent, the player agreed to attend the school full-time for at least a year.

Additionally, before last year there was a penalty that required players to sit out for a semester if they requested a release after a coaching change. Under the new rules, there will be no such penalties.