Sources: Big Ten to bar NFL players from return

The Big Ten is set to pass a rule Tuesday that doesn't allow players to return from the NFL and play for one of its schools, sources told ESPN's Pete Thamel.

Any player who has declared for the NFL draft and did not withdraw, appeared on an NFL roster or signed a contract with a pro league cannot be on a Big Ten roster, sources told Thamel.

The Big Ten's ruling comes in the wake two NFL players -- Cleveland's Dae'Quan Wright and New Orleans' Zxavian Harris -- parting with their respective teams to join Lane Kiffin's roster at LSU.

Kiffin defended the unprecedented moves Monday, saying players are "either going to play for you or they're going to play for someone else around the country."

The SEC, however, issued a statement later Monday emphasizing its belief that athletes who choose to leave college athletics and sign professional contracts "should not then be permitted to return to college competition."