NCAA Age Requirements in Need of Reform?

Alex Collins, a running back for Plantation (Fla.) and five-star recruit had nothing standing in his way of going to his dream school... except for his mother.

When Collins received his National Letter of Intent, the tri-sport athlete was ecstatic. His dream to play football for Arkansas was finally coming true. All he had to do to formalize his devotion to join Arkansas' 2013 recruiting class, was get a parental signature. A prospect under the age of 21 cannot submit an official letter without written consent from a legal guardian. Seems easy enough, right?

This is when the story takes an interesting twist.

Collins is a high school senior at South Plantation High, near Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he lives with his mother. When Collins asked his mom to sign his letter of consent on Wednesday she declined saying she wanted him to attend the University of Miami. Andrea McDonald, Collin's mother, had hopes that her son would stay closer to home and follow through with a verbal agreement they had made with Miami earlier in the year.

What's a boy to do when one parent tells you no?

Try the other!

This is when Collins takes matters into his own hands and asked his father to provide the written consent required by the NCAA. When his father agrees, everything seems set in place. One of the nations top 100 football recruits is on his way to sign.

Here comes another bizarre turn of events..

McDonald was so outraged by her son's decision that she sought legal advice from the Cochran Firm on Wednesday.

For anyone who has been living under a rock, the Cochran Firm is known all around the sports world and is most famous for defending O.J. Simpson during his 1995 murder trial.

Think she's trying to get a point across? She's not the kind of mom to double-cross.

Despite her hopes to keep her "mama's-boy" home, Collins finally signed with Arkansas on Thursday. A press release was given 45 minutes before the signing by Cochran Firm saying McDonald sought out their services to represent "the families interests".

Collins took to Twitter on Thursday addressing the events, "Finally over! Finally a razorback! I'm glad this is over alot of weight off my shoulders happy to be a hog! The camo suit was for the fans!"

While I'm happy that Collins's story has a happy ending, I think this debacle raises some really serious issues. Shouldn't an 18-year-old be able to make a decision like this themselves?

In other aspects of the law, 18-year-olds are able to make most decisions for themselves. It doesn't make sense to me that the NCAA can uphold their own laws. If being 18 means you are able to sign other contracts, why are they unable to make one of the most important decisions of their life, on their own-- choosing their school. It should be a player's decision who they want to sign with, period.