The NCAA has affirmed its decision that Oklahoma linebacker Mike Balogun played amateur league football after his 21st birthday and is therefore ineligible to compete this football season.
Woody Glass, Balogun’s attorney, said Monday morning that he and his client have appealed that decision, but that he holds little hope that the NCAA would change its mind in regard to the decision reached by the amateurism staff and affirmed by the fact-finding committee
“They made the finding that Mike played in 2004, 2005 and 2006,” Glass said. “For them to have reached that decision they have to have totally disregarded sworn affidavit testimony and decided the facts based on unverified information that we have argued is not worthy of belief.
“My internal optimism has now faded to pessimism that there is no way we can get Mike eligible to play football [this season]. It’s just not going to happen through the NCAA.”
The 25-year-old Balogun turned 21 on Sept. 28, 2004.
Glass said that he and Balogun will meet sometime this week to decided a further course of action. Glass said Balogun can either re-enter the court system in hopes of gaining a permanent injunction barring the NCAA’s action. But that would leave Oklahoma in danger of forfeiting any games in which Balogun plays under by-law 19.7. Glass said that would entail a process that might end before next season in hopes that Balogun could take a redshirt option and possibly play in 2010, although that course of action might not be available under NCAA guidelines.
Balogun’s other option would be to abandon any further pursuit of playing again, seek a trainer and try and prepare for possible tryouts with NFL teams
-- Mike Jones
Woody Glass, Balogun’s attorney, said Monday morning that he and his client have appealed that decision, but that he holds little hope that the NCAA would change its mind in regard to the decision reached by the amateurism staff and affirmed by the fact-finding committee
“They made the finding that Mike played in 2004, 2005 and 2006,” Glass said. “For them to have reached that decision they have to have totally disregarded sworn affidavit testimony and decided the facts based on unverified information that we have argued is not worthy of belief.
“My internal optimism has now faded to pessimism that there is no way we can get Mike eligible to play football [this season]. It’s just not going to happen through the NCAA.”
The 25-year-old Balogun turned 21 on Sept. 28, 2004.
Glass said that he and Balogun will meet sometime this week to decided a further course of action. Glass said Balogun can either re-enter the court system in hopes of gaining a permanent injunction barring the NCAA’s action. But that would leave Oklahoma in danger of forfeiting any games in which Balogun plays under by-law 19.7. Glass said that would entail a process that might end before next season in hopes that Balogun could take a redshirt option and possibly play in 2010, although that course of action might not be available under NCAA guidelines.
Balogun’s other option would be to abandon any further pursuit of playing again, seek a trainer and try and prepare for possible tryouts with NFL teams
-- Mike Jones
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