247 Reporting following the cancellation of the end of their season due to the shooting, the NCAA has granted the Cavalier players an extra year of eligibility.
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I'm going to try to avoid the topic of the shooting all together buy holy shit the NCAA just doesn't care on eligibility anymore. Everybody stay and play for 10 years!
Edit: Made the comment before reading the article (as is standard). Its only for players that were on their final year. Which is
It's still pretty wild considering the standard 5 years to play 4, + covid year, + this...they could potentially have guys on their roster who are still playing college ball at an age that many NFL careers are already over
True Freshman in 2020 are the last that can use the covid year exemption, so yeah if they redshirted, this will be around until 2026.
Oh wow. The NCAA did something thoughtful for once without tripping over themselves.
They'll balance it out by screwing us over somehow.
Or they'll hire Art Briles as a consultant
So theoretically, someone could have 7 years of eligibility? Redshirt, medical redshirt, 3 years of playing, covid year, and this extra year. Stetson Bennett is 25 and is only in his 5th year
I know it wouldn't have given Hooker his wonder year but they need to just cap it by age at 23, maybe 24. That gives 95% of athletes either a JUCO year, medical redshirt, or redshirt year and enough time to earn a degree for those who are not playing at the next level. I'm sorry but if you've torn both your ACL's, major shoulder reconstruction, etc just hang it up man
You can't cap it. You have players who don't even start college until their 20's.
Then have them go through a waiver process. I agree with giving the UVA guys another year as they should, but they just keep jacking up eligibility every year. Roster management has to be insanely difficult at this point
So a waiver just to start college because a person did a religious mission or military service or hell took a year off after high school? Nah that isn't the answer.
Roster management? That's what you are concerned about? That poor coach that's making several million a year while these kids are trying to better themselves for the future? Have you seen the portal?!
Yeah, the kid that's going for 6th or 7th year isn't going pro. And might not even be a starter. That next wunderkind coming in to start as a freshman is either going to win the spot anyway or go to another school anyway. You aren't going to hear about a 7th year guy at Bama...
It just for the guys in their last year of eligibility. It won't mess up their roster numbers that much I imagine.
For missing two games in a year where they weren't going to a bowl? Just adds to a lifetime of other decisions which make no sense at all to me. What do they do, flip a coin?
I don't think it matters much, but weird.
I kind of had the same thoughts at first, but it doesn't affect that many players and I don't think it really gives them any unfair advantage. So it's a really nice gesture and I think it's something the NCAA actually got right.
My only thought is: What about all the other NCAA teams who have had a teammate(s) tragically die at some point in the season who didn't get the advantage of an extra year of eligibility.
How many situations like UVA have occurred? And whose to say that this won't become the standard when those situations occur in the future? Just because you don't know of times they've done this in the past doesn't mean it has to remain that way. This is no different than the NIL.
NIH reports that over a 9 year period (10 year old report), 477 student athletes died during their respective competition seasons. That equates to 53 per year.
Of those, 236 were accidental, 81 were of cardiac arrest, 37 were by homicide, 35 by suidice, 34 were cancer related, 14 were "other Medical", 11 were unknown causes, 10 were ODs, 8 were Sickle cell, 4 were heat stroke, 3 were Alcohol poisoning, 3 were by head injury, 1 was meningitis.
How many of those 477 were murdered during the season...not make light of the 477, but it's apples to pears.
And again, this "ruling" doesn't mean it can't or won't change in the future.
Just saw your edit with the detailed out numbers. Man, that's some deep intel there. NIH loves numbers and looks like it in this case.
Additional Wikipedia details:
Football
So it also appears that UVA and the players requested the elegibiilty waiver and it was granted.
Makes me wonder if others requested a waiver previously.
Also, the rule has changed for redshirting...one can play four full games and still redshirt. Previously you couldn't even play one down. The NCAA is changing and moving. While they do make many boneheaded decisions, I think they got this one absolutely correct.
So it also appears that UVA and the players requested the elegibiilty waiver and it was granted.
Makes me wonder if others requested a waiver previously.
Interesting. When a VT player requests a waiver to play at a school closer to his dying mother, the NCAA denies it based on some sort of random mileage rule. It isn't the same as murder of teammates but someone's health was on the line...
Not disagreeing. But that was then, this is now.
Yeah, it's not about the bowl game. Or their record. Or making room on a roster.
Sheesh. The NCAA does something nice for once (Giving a few seniors the OPTION to come back for one more year if they want because 3 of their team mates were murdered in the middle of the year) and everyone still jumps all over them. How many of them will cash that token? 3? 5? It's not hurting anything at all. But allowing those that were on the team to knw they can take a minute off then come back without having their fate decided for them by an unfortunate incident.
Amen. This is by far the right thing to do, and it affects maybe what 10-12 players? Only players in their last year of eligibility in 2022 can take advantage of this. Its not like everyone on the UVA roster just got a 6th year. I count 13 players that were grad students or 5th years on UVA... Obviously true "seniors" can count too- but I don't have time to research which ones redshirted or not, etc.