Masoli to Play in 2010

Every time we think the NCAA finally gets something right, they turn around and make a boneheaded move. This time, on itself. And I'm shaking my head.

The NCAA did Ole Miss and Masoli a favor
by ruling him eligible for 2010.

Ole Miss quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, formerly of Oregon, originally had been denied a waiver to participate in the upcoming 2010 season. Ole Miss and Masoli had filed the waiver under a rule that stipulates (deep breath) that a player can transfer and not have sit out a year after transferring if the student-athlete had received an undergraduate degree from his former school and the institution from where the degree was attained does not offer post-grad courses in the student-athlete's chosen course of study.

Got that? Long winded, I know.

Apparently, Oregon doesn't offer a parks and recreation post-grad curriculum and Ole Miss does as that's the direction Masoli has chosen to pursue. Normally (and I use that word with extreme caution anymore regarding the NCAA), a student-athlete that transfers must sit a year, but Masoli's case is a tad different because Masoli has a degree.

Initially, the NCAA denied Masoli's waiver and ruled that Masoli's transfer violated the "spirit" of the rule. The NCAA Division I Subcommittee for Legislative Relief reversed that ruling.

C'mon. We all know why Masoli is in Oxford. He has a year of eligibility remaining and Ole Miss chief honcho Houston Nutt had only two scholarship quarterbacks coming into 2010. It's as plain as the nose on your face why this marriage was created. Opportunity. Masoli need a place to play and Nutt needed a quality QB.

It is a clear violation of the "spirit" of the rule, but the NCAA was left with no choice but to allow Masoli to play because, as far as the letter of the rule goes, Masoli and Ole Miss did nothing wrong. It's always difficult to find the correct verbiage to incorporate the "spirit of a rule" into a rule. Ask the PGA and the players about the new grooves (which was finally worked out). Realistically, every time the NCAA creates a new rule or amends one, the opportunity for its members to dissect it to find grey area exists. On this particular rule, the can of worms is really open now.

Does Masoli deserve that opportunity? Look at his "record" during his last year in Eugene.

A theft charge relating to laptops and a guitar from a frat led to Masoli being suspended for 2010. Masoli had a redshirt at his disposal so Ducks head coach Chip Kelly kept Masoli on the team. Instead of staying clean and following the rules, Masoli clouded his career in Eugene after being charged with marijuana possession and a variety of traffic infractions. Kelly booted Masoli from the team. Kelly was left with no choice.

Now, for one year, the Jeremiah Masoli era will be in effect in Oxford, Mississippi.

This ruling also goes to prove three things. One, all that's important is finding a way to win. Two, when it comes to "big time college athletics", the term "student-athlete" is overused and overrated. Three, the NCAA is just being the NCAA.