OT: IU Compliance Drops the Ball on DB's Eligibility
Weird story in Bloomington. IU's compliance office apparently didn't propertly track the courses freshman DB Bryant Fitzgerald took in high school, and the NCAA has ruled him ineligible for this season. He didn't take the required courses to meet the NCAA benchmarks, and IU didn't bother to make sure when there was still something that could be done about it.
IU's saying the NCAA should have granted a waiver. The kid is getting punished, but as bad as the NCAA is, what is the NCAA really supposed to do when compliance basically didn't do their job?
https://www.landof10.com/indiana/indiana-bryant-fitzgerald-non-qualifie…
IU's statement:
August 20th, 2017 at 6:00 PM ^
The NCAA is there to figure out new ways to screw student-athletes in as many innovative ways as possible.
SEC does not apply however.
August 20th, 2017 at 6:26 PM ^
This isn't on the NCAA though. IU screwed up and now they want someone to waive a hand over it and make it go away.
August 20th, 2017 at 6:38 PM ^
Meh it's on both of them. Like I posted below, the same thing happened to Hawkins. The only difference is, when Michigan found out in early July they got him into prep school. Indiana, on the other hand, requested a waiver.
So Indiana should have known better than to think that he would be able to dodge a core requirement. And the NCAA just sucks because they took their sweet time initially and then again on the appeal, and now it's too late to go to a JUCO.
August 20th, 2017 at 6:54 PM ^
It sounds like they discovered the kid was ineligible during the course of normal processes and notified Indiana. Indiana has taken full responsibility for not properly informing the kid of the requirements and for not checking up to be sure he completed the requirements. Indiana appealed on 8/3, the NCAA denied the appeal on 8/14. I don't see how the NCAA is at fault here.
August 20th, 2017 at 10:53 PM ^
LA LA LA we can't hear you.
August 20th, 2017 at 11:05 PM ^
Eh, it doesn't look as if the NCAA was dilatory. Indiana filed its request for a waiver on August 3, and the NCAA denied it on August 14. Indiana appealed on August 14, and the NCAA denied the appeal on August 18.
August 20th, 2017 at 6:01 PM ^
Wow. That really sucks for Fitzgerald. He can't even practice with the team.
August 20th, 2017 at 6:06 PM ^
On the one hand, IU screws up and the kid gets penalized. On the other hand, I can't help but think that if this were a SEC school that the waiver might have been granted (or that the school would've just cheated and it would be a non-issue).
The problem for the NCAA is that they still espouse the "student-athlete" concept and as such their hands are tied. If (when) that changes to "athlete-student" and the kids are paid, I suppose there would be no need for a waiver.
August 20th, 2017 at 10:43 PM ^
It changes for every kid after four or five years.
August 20th, 2017 at 6:06 PM ^
August 20th, 2017 at 6:59 PM ^
Ah, but the NCAA would declare the benefit of being fucked with a cactus to be impermissible unless they making being fucked with a cactus generally available to the student body at schools in general. Either that, or you can't be fucked with a cactus unless you first pay them back for the $3 above the pasta allowance that you ate on Thursday.
August 20th, 2017 at 7:25 PM ^
August 20th, 2017 at 10:46 PM ^
I love people who demonstrate that they do not understand that the NCAA is the University of Michigan, plus a bunch of places like it. It isn't some federal bureaucracy.
So, yoyu think that UM can go fuck itself on a Saguaro cactus? And you call yourself a fan?
August 20th, 2017 at 6:11 PM ^
August 20th, 2017 at 6:22 PM ^
The problem is the rules aren't very clear. What the NCAA considers "core" classes required for eligibility are open to very loose translation.
The same thing happened with Brad Hawkins last year when he didn't pass clearinghouse. Fortunately for Michigan, they found out in July(IIRC) and had time to squeeze him into a JUCO. Otherwise it would've been the same bad press for us.
August 20th, 2017 at 6:58 PM ^
August 20th, 2017 at 8:45 PM ^
High school guidance counselor here-each HS submits a list of every class with a description of curriculum to the NCAA. The NCAA then tells the school which courses are certified and which are not. They certify most classes in the four core areas and World Language, certify nothing outside of that. There is a published distribution list each student must meet,as well as a GPA/SAT/ACT matrix. Bottom line, no athlete should ever be surprised they are not eligible in August. We defer to colleges to make the final determination, since they have entire departments devoted to this. We know the rules, but it is a small part of our job.
August 20th, 2017 at 11:08 PM ^
Thanks for the explanation!
August 20th, 2017 at 6:11 PM ^
August 20th, 2017 at 6:23 PM ^
I'm pretty much here. The kid is going to have no idea what he had to take to graduate and be eligible for NCAA athletics. But any school counselor and NCAA compliance office are going to know straight away. There's no doubt they have checklists in hand, forms to fill out that make it easy to figure out, etc. There's no reason this should have happened, but it's all pretty clear stuff. I know it's cool to trash the NCAA, but what are they supposed to do here?
Let's also acknowledge the fact that NCAA eligibility guidelines are pretty low in terms of required GPA, test scores, minimum course requirements, etc. What did this kid take that he isn't eligible?
August 20th, 2017 at 6:47 PM ^
What, eligibility requirements are a state secret, or just beyond the scope of understanding for the average Neandrethal...err, athlete?
August 20th, 2017 at 6:50 PM ^
The average high school student, athlete or not, is probably going to have little interest or awareness of graduation requirements, much less NCAA minimum requirements for eligibility. They usually count on folks like school counselors, athletic directors, compliance officials, etc. to figure out what they need to do, even if they should be more proactive. That's just the way it works.
August 20th, 2017 at 8:10 PM ^
Right there with you mate. To say the kid has no responsibility for this at all is insulting to his inteligence.
August 20th, 2017 at 8:53 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
August 20th, 2017 at 10:51 PM ^
The kid should be aware of what he needs to do to qualify for an NCAA scholarship, and make sure that he does that. Now, it is possible that he took a course that he thought qualified, but didn't. But every high school student that wants to qualify for an NCAA scholarship should be tracking his own progress, and not wait for someone else to tell him if he is doing it wrong.
So, the kid gets a free year of education and still has his full athletic eligability. He's not getting screwed.
August 21st, 2017 at 12:20 AM ^
Again. He was told he had done what he needed to do to qualify. What else do you expect him to do? Go straight to Indianapolis with his transcript and go over it with the national compliance folks?
August 20th, 2017 at 6:48 PM ^
There was a time that the best person to look out for one's best interests was one's self.
August 20th, 2017 at 6:55 PM ^
And when the adults in the room who handed you the scholarship offer and keep track of eligibility tell you that you've done everything you need to do to be eligible, why would you as a prospective college athlete have any reason to believe they're wrong?
August 20th, 2017 at 8:03 PM ^
August 20th, 2017 at 8:35 PM ^
Just so I'm clear, it is of your concerted opinion that the best person to look after your best interests is somebody else? Who would that person be, and does it change from time to time, and how do you go about deciding who it is that is best suited to look after your best interests?
August 21st, 2017 at 1:04 AM ^
Like, for example, when you are a high school student who needs to achieve compliance with the maze that is NCAA athletic eligibility standards. Most student athletes aren't going to have the required skills and knowledge to navigate that process by themselves.
August 21st, 2017 at 7:47 AM ^
August 21st, 2017 at 9:11 PM ^
If I hired a lawyer that was ME looking out for ME.
August 20th, 2017 at 6:16 PM ^
They should grant him the waiver but find some way to penalize the school...though that isn't realistic
August 20th, 2017 at 6:25 PM ^
What kind of punishment would make them realize that they're being punished in the first place?
August 21st, 2017 at 7:48 AM ^
August 20th, 2017 at 6:13 PM ^
kid red-shirts and gets ahead in his studies - not the end of the world
August 20th, 2017 at 6:23 PM ^
August 20th, 2017 at 6:39 PM ^
If you're an enrolled student, the clock starts, IIRC, even if you're not on the team.
August 20th, 2017 at 6:28 PM ^
August 20th, 2017 at 6:53 PM ^
August 20th, 2017 at 6:44 PM ^
Must have drank him/herself into oblivion over last nights meltdown. Or worse... Someone put away the razors. I digress.
August 20th, 2017 at 6:38 PM ^
August 20th, 2017 at 6:54 PM ^
August 20th, 2017 at 8:38 PM ^
August 21st, 2017 at 7:26 AM ^
August 20th, 2017 at 8:36 PM ^
August 21st, 2017 at 12:27 AM ^
August 21st, 2017 at 4:18 AM ^
The AD owns up to the mistake, but then adds the following:
"I am very disappointed in the NCAA for not granting our waiver request nor our appeal. Bryant should not have to bear the brunt of our mistake, and the NCAA could have, and should have, remedied that in the interest of this student’s well-being, who is in this situation through absolutely no fault of his own.”
The NCAA did nothing wrong here, and nobody should expect it to fix the problem that IU created.
August 21st, 2017 at 8:53 AM ^
Exactly. Regardless of why it happened or whose fault it was, he isn't eligible. No appeal is going to change that. Their hands are kind of tied here.