The news is breaking this afternoon that the NCAA has reversed itself and granted Masoli his wish to play for Ole Miss this fall. It seems the first NCAA ruling was based more on the spirit of the law as opposed to the letter. I think we'll see another Houston Nutt rule from the NCAA in the near future where it will be more clearly stated that this waiver can't be used by an athlete who has been kicked off a team. Masoli was the rare case of a quick to graduate student who at the same time screwed up enough to get kicked off his own team. Personally, I feel that this whole episode underscores the lie that in too many instances is the phrase "student athlete" when it comes to college football. I think "athlete, maybe sometimes a student," would be more accurate. I give Masoli credited for graduating at Oregon, but he surely didn't arrive in Oxford for a future in Parks and Recreation! And that is something the NCAA got right the first time. Here's a little Masoli poll for you to play around with.
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