Cam’s petition for an extra year eligibility denied by NCAA

[husky429]

I get the argument and understand why his appeal was rejected but I disagree that it's an appeal to emotion. If the same exact injury happened a year later he would have played the exact same amount of basketball as now but would likely be eligible next year. A huge chunk of players eligible in that '20-'21 season received five years of eligibility. He only gets four.

My main issue wasn't that you were applying the ruling incorrectly, but that you said "he didn't miss out on anything." He did compared to almost every other kid in his class. My take on the situation is that I get why he pushed for another year and wish he could get it, but he's unlucky because he happened to get hurt during a year where everyone got a free year, whether they got injured or not. It's bad luck, not him looking to steal an extra year.

He didn't miss out on anything, because he played 5 years of basketball just like everyone else. You're arguing like he got a medical redshirt. He didn't. He played.

If the same injury happened a year later, he would still be ineligible because he still wouldn't have gotten a medical redshirt. He was never eligible for one because it wasn't a season-ending injury. That's how the NCAA has worked for as long as I can remember.

 

[RichZ]

Wait -- because he only played a few games in 2020-21, and then the NCAA said that season wouldn't count towards one's four years of eligibility, he wanted TWO extra years? Even for a lawyer, whomever floated that as an idea was being absurd.

Yes, but it's the NCAA. The 2nd A stands for absurd, doesn't it? It was worth a shot based on some of the exceptions they've granted over the years.

 

[GampelGladiator]

Not surprising. Good for him to try. Hard to remember any guy we've had for only 1 year, like this, who I've enjoyed watching more than Cam. No matter how the season ends, he will end his career beloved by UConn fans everywhere.

Killa Cam is #2 behind Nadav Henefeld...though I would understand if our fanbase is generationally split between the two of them.

 

[BlueMAB]

Yes, but it's the NCAA. The 2nd A stands for absurd, doesn't it? It was worth a shot based on some of the exceptions they've granted over the years.

Yup.

Got 8 years....


Gets 9 years


Also got 8 years

 

[Rico444]

He didn't miss out on anything, because he played 5 years of basketball just like everyone else. You're arguing like he got a medical redshirt. He didn't. He played.

If the same injury happened a year later, he would still be ineligible because he still wouldn't have gotten a medical redshirt. He was never eligible for one because it wasn't a season-ending injury. That's how the NCAA has worked for as long as I can remember.

He barely played in that one season. Technically you're right that he used his eligibility but to say he didn't miss out on anything doesn't do a good enough job explaining what happened. And I get that as the NCAA rules are on the books he should be done, but he's asking for an exception, which tons of players have gotten. Hell, there's a kid at Miami that's about to use his 9th year of eligibility.

Again, I'm not arguing that he should absolutely win. I get why he was denied. I just think there's a legitimate case to grant the extra year based on exceptions they've made in the past and the fact that one of his years was essentially a lost year -- and not because of COVID.

 

[Uconn77Duke74]

I can really see Cam becoming a Head Coach somewhere in the future. He has that crazy Hurley temperament.

 

[uconnbill]

I will throw this out there. Bo Nix played 61 games as a starter in FBS football at Auburn and Oregon. That is five full years and Cam only played four plus four games. It doesn't sound as crazy then and Caitlyn Clark could've returned next year if she wanted.

 

[Fishy]

First reaction - Cam has had his career and I get why they turned down the extra year.

But looking at some of the other cases where exemptions have been granted, it does kinda seem weird

 

[runner11]

A good comparison would be Tua’s little brother.

 

[husky429]

He barely played in that one season. Technically you're right that he used his eligibility but to say he didn't miss out on anything doesn't do a good enough job explaining what happened. And I get that as the NCAA rules are on the books he should be done, but he's asking for an exception, which tons of players have gotten. Hell, there's a kid at Miami that's about to use his 9th year of eligibility.

Again, I'm not arguing that he should absolutely win. I get why he was denied. I just think there's a legitimate case to grant the extra year based on exceptions they've made in the past and the fact that one of his years was essentially a lost year -- and not because of COVID.

So the issue is redshirt rules. I can live with that. Still don't understand why the injury a year later would make a difference though--it doesn't.

 

[Dibbie]

Miami Hurricanes football player coming back for his 9th season. No idea how he pulled that off.

 

[OceanDoggie]

Will Diarra get a 5th year?

 

[navery12]

What are all these exceptions people keep mentioning? Every one mentioned so far has not been applicable to Cam's situation. Maybe I'm missing something but I can't find a single case of someone getting 2 waivers for the same season

 

[superjohn]

I can really see Cam becoming a Head Coach somewhere in the future. He has that crazy Hurley temperament.

 

[Huskyforlife]

i can’t take anyone seriously that says 5 games counts as a full season, that’s like 2 weeks of basketball. If you wanna argue he shouldn’t get a 6th year cause he’s too old or something, fine. But it seems disingenuous to suggest he got the same opportunity as everyone else that was given 5 full years of playing time.

 

[HooperScooper]

Will Diarra get a 5th year?

Yes. He's got his Covid year to take if he wants to.

 

[EROCK CONN]

Based on the fact that a court just ruled that the NCAA really doesn't have any ability to police or punish it's members, Spencer should just say "screw you" to the NCAA and play.

 

[navery12]

i can’t take anyone seriously that says 5 games counts as a full season, that’s like 2 weeks of basketball. If you wanna argue he shouldn’t get a 6th year cause he’s too old or something, fine. But it seems disingenuous to suggest he got the same opportunity as everyone else that was given 5 full years of playing time.

I think you'd get unanimous agreement on that, plenty of people have called for the NCAA to change the redshirt rule, or even follow the football model and allow players to play games and still redshirt.

But that's a moot point, because it's not the rule now, and you get one redshirt year to use per season

 

[husky429]

i can’t take anyone seriously that says 5 games counts as a full season, that’s like 2 weeks of basketball. If you wanna argue he shouldn’t get a 6th year cause he’s too old or something, fine. But it seems disingenuous to suggest he got the same opportunity as everyone else that was given 5 full years of playing time.

The NCAAs redshirt rules are horrendously stupid, especially when you consider that the vast majority of athletes aren't high-major football or basketball players.

 

[Rico444]

So the issue is redshirt rules. I can live with that. Still don't understand why the injury a year later would make a difference though--it doesn't.

The way I understand it (and I could be over simplifying it) is that the 20-21 season doesn't count towards your eligibility if you were a student athlete. So in theory, if Cam got hurt in '22 he could've put in for a redshirt, since that season does count against his 4 years of eligibility.

 

[BlueMAB]

I think you'd get unanimous agreement on that, plenty of people have called for the NCAA to change the redshirt rule, or even follow the football model and allow players to play games and still redshirt.

But that's a moot point, because it's not the rule now, and you get one redshirt year to use per season

The NCAA does allow players to play games and still redshirt.

In his sixth season of college basketball, Clayton attended the University of Hartford as a graduate student, but only was able to play in two games because of yet another injury, buying him a seventh year of eligibility. For his seventh season, as a grad student at Cal, DeJuan Clayton was limited to just nine games due to a hamstring injury and bouts of vertigo. Now, he’s done, right? All of his eligibility was used up, right? Nope. For the 2023-24 academic year, Clayton enrolled at Manhattan University and reached out to the NCAA for a waiver that would grant him an eighth year of eligibility to play college basketball.

 

[IndyLives]

The NCAA committee members are jealous gods. They dont want to see a UConn ThreePeat!!

 

[Umami Zen]

If Cam played at a SEC/Big 10 school with buckets of FB money.. The university might be able get the NCAA to show some creativity with an extra year-as they have done in the past. Not gonna happen in Storrs.

Pretty cool that Cam wanted to run it back next year.

 

[superjohn]

If Cam played at a SEC/Big 10 school with buckets of FB money.. The university might be able get the NCAA to show some creativity with an extra year-as they have done in the past. Not gonna happen in Storrs.

Pretty cool that Cam wanted to run it back next year.

 

[navery12]

The NCAA does allow players to play games and still redshirt.

In his sixth season of college basketball, Clayton attended the University of Hartford as a graduate student, but only was able to play in two games because of yet another injury, buying him a seventh year of eligibility. For his seventh season, as a grad student at Cal, DeJuan Clayton was limited to just nine games due to a hamstring injury and bouts of vertigo. Now, he’s done, right? All of his eligibility was used up, right? Nope. For the 2023-24 academic year, Clayton enrolled at Manhattan University and reached out to the NCAA for a waiver that would grant him an eighth year of eligibility to play college basketball.

Those are medical redshirts. In college football you don't need a season ending injury, you can just play 4 games and then take a redshirt year