The SEC was first to call into question Jim Harbaugh's spring break plans for the Michigan Wolverines, then the NCAA backed them up, and now the ACC is raising its voice.
Speaking with ESPN.com, ACC Commissioner John Swofford agreed that the NCAA needed to pass a rule that would make spring break trips like the one Harbaugh has planned outlawed. Harbaugh has stated the trip will be a bonding experience for his team, indicating practices are just part of the deal.
Michigan will practice at the IMG Academy in Florida, one of the nation's premier private high schools for athletics.
"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 said. "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."
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey told CBS Sports earlier this month Harbaugh's trip was counter to the NCAA's efforts to help student-athletes take advantage of their time away from their respective sports. But the SEC has taken issue with Harbaugh treading on the SEC's recruiting grounds since he arrived in Ann Arbor.
At a board meeting at the University of South Carolina, The State reported, NCAA President Mark Emmert said he too disagreed with Harbaugh's trip and emphasized the need for rules addressing the issue.
