Aug. 31, 2010

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OXFORD, Miss. -- Ole Miss appealed an NCAA waiver decision Tuesday that would restrict Jeremiah Masoli from playing football for the Rebels until 2011.
 
The Ole Miss appeal of the NCAA staff’s decision will now be reviewed by an NCAA subcommittee, which is comprised of athletics directors, faculty athletics representatives and other administrators from NCAA member institutions. A response could be expected as early as Friday but no later than one week.
 
“We are not aware of any case precedence to support their reasons,” said Pete Boone, Ole Miss athletics director. “Jeremiah complied with the requirements under which other waivers were granted.

“It is our opinion that the decision was subjective and not weighted toward the best interest and opportunity of the student-athlete. We hope that the members of the subcommittee on appeals will see the reasons are favorable and for the benefit of Jeremiah.”

NCAA rules require that student-athletes in the sports of baseball, basketball and football sit out one year before being permitted to compete. Student-athletes who have graduated may receive a waiver to the one year residency requirements, provided they have been accepted into a graduate program and it is demonstrated that the transfer was for academic rather than athletic reasons.

In its rulings, the NCAA concluded that Masoli’s transfer was motivated because he had been dismissed from the team for the 2010 season and therefore was not for academic reasons.

 “There is no requirement that says a student-athlete must be in good standing with an athletics team, just the university, which he was,” said Boone. “That question is not part of the waiver application. We are aware of other student-athletes with similar issues, but since their team status was not public, their waivers were successful.”