Fitzgerald declared eligible for NFL Draft

He didn't immediately indicate what his decision is going to be.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- This isn't the fade pattern Pitt wanted to see receiver Larry Fitzgerald run.
Fitzgerald, the Heisman Trophy runner-up who set NCAA receiving records in his two seasons at Pitt, was declared eligible Thursday for the NFL draft.
Fitzgerald didn't immediately say he would turn pro -- he declined comment -- but his departure from Pitt has been expected for weeks. He's expected to announce at a news conference in the next few days that he's turning pro.
Let system work
Fitzgerald's father, Larry Sr., also declined to discuss the decision in detail, but did say, "We choose to let them [the NFL] do what they do, and then we'll do what we do."
Numerous NFL scouts have said they expect Fitzgerald to be a top-three or top-five pick, so there is little incentive for Fitzgerald to return for another college season. With quarterback Rod Rutherford, running back Brandon Miree and most of the offensive line departing, Pitt's offense would be in a rebuilding mode next season even if Fitzgerald returned.
Pittsburgh coach Walt Harris also turned down interview requests, though he has known for weeks Fitzgerald almost certainly wouldn't return for his junior season.
"Whatever Larry decides, this university is going to support him wholeheartedly," assistant athletic director E.J. Borghetti said Thursday night. "The opportunity to be a top-five pick can be a fleeting one in the game of football. But education is important to Larry's family, and whatever he decides to do, he will still work to his degree."
By the book
Under league rules, a player must be in college for three NFL seasons before he can be drafted. Fitzgerald left the Academy of Holy Angels in Minneapolis, Minn., midway through his senior year in 2001 and transferred to Valley Forge (Pa.) Military Academy to boost his grades for college.
After spending nearly 11/2 academic years there, Fitzgerald signed with Pittsburgh and immediately became the most productive receiver in school history. He owns NCAA records for consecutive games with a touchdown catch (18) and most TDs receiving as a freshman and sophomore (34).
The NFL determined Fitzgerald was eligible because he would have graduated from high school in 2001 had he not transferred, and thus is three years past his senior year of high school.
Fitzgerald is not believed to have formally petitioned the league to be declared eligible. But his lawyer sent a letter to the NFL last month asking that his draft status be clarified.
Football background
The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Fitzgerald already has an NFL background. His father, a former college lineman, is a sports writer and radio-TV show host in Minneapolis, and the younger Fitzgerald was a Minnesota Vikings ball boy for several years while in high school.
While working in the Vikings' training camp, Fitzgerald became friends with receivers Cris Carter and Randy Moss. It was Carter, a former Ohio State standout, who suggested he consider Pitt. Harris is a former Buckeyes assistant coach.