Brian Kelly says it’s ‘ludicrous’ that Alabama uses NFL alumni on its scout team

Alabama beat LSU, 10-0, last week, and we learned during the game’s broadcast that Nick Saban brought in former Tide quarterback John Parker Wilson and former running back Trent Richardson to be on Bama’s scout team. The two acted as LSU quarterback Danny Etling, and running back Leonard Fournette to prepare Alabama’s defense.

It paid off. Etling was held to just 92 yards and an interception, Fournette to just 35 yards on the ground. On Thursday, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly was asked about Bama’s usage of alumni on scout teams. Kelly responded by saying he thought it was “ludicrous.”

Did you know that Notre Dame is 3-6 this season whereas Alabama is 9-0? Anyway, Saban calling in former players to be on his scout team is something he’s been doing all season. Before the Tide’s 33-14 win over Texas A&M, former Alabama quarterback Blake Sims was brought in to impersonate Aggies signal caller Trevor Knight.

Alabama is able to have non-students participate in practice thanks to an exception to the practice rules that the NCAA adopted in 2011. NCAA bylaw 14.2.1.6 reads:

A former student at the certifying institution (e.g., former student-athlete) may participate in an organized practice session on an occasional basis, provided the institution does not publicize the participation of the former student at any time before the practice session.

Basically, if a player’s participation is “occasional” and Bama doesn’t tell the public beforehand about alumni at practice, everything’s OK with the NCAA. Any team could do this kind of thing — including Notre Dame.

If everything falls inside NCAA rules, why wouldn’t a head coach want to take advantage of using former players on scout teams? Our story on this earlier in the week addresses how it’s beneficial for both parties to take part in this.

What we also have here is also mutually beneficial relationship.

It could be reasonably assumed that Richardson and Sims of them are trying to get back onto a pro team. Richardson’s most recent sniff with the NFL was cut short by a knee injury. Last we heard from Sims, he was getting a workout with the Falcons, but nothing came of it. (Wilson hasn’t been on an NFL roster since 2013.)

Saban knows the opportunity could be good for his team as well as for his former charges.

“Well, you know, Blake just got released,” Saban said. “So he was looking for some place to work so that he had a chance to get better. And based on our situation at quarterback and the kind of guy that we were playing against it was really convenient to have him here to help us last week.”

One would assume that doing anything the way it’s done at Alabama is a good thing, but apparently Brian Kelly doesn’t think so. You do you, coach.