Justin Powell leaving UT

Rob Lewis said he’ll need a waiver (duh) but doesn’t see how he gets one. Didn’t mention if Rick was helping to get him eligible.
 
Unless there are extenuating circumstances that carried over to this season, I don't see how they make that a consideration from something that happened early in the season two years ago.

But it could relate to the free transfer that he used up when coming to TN. His last game was 1/2/21 so he practically sat out an entire year AND it ended up being the free year. I think that the COVID season and the early season ending injury could be extenuating circumstances. Had the season not been shortened due to COVID he would have been close to getting a medical waiver. He didn’t get the same benefit as other players did with the free year. They all were able to play 3 more months of ball without using up any eligibility.

Plus the extenuating circumstance that the NCAA won’t say out loud is that they have been relaxing eligibility rules quite a bit (NIL, free transfer, COVID year), here’s a kid that had a very serious injury participating in their monopoly, and they’d be negatively affecting his opportunity to become a professional ball player if he had to sit out yet another extended period of time. They are opening themselves up to litigation.

I think they’ll grant him a waiver - especially if Barnes helps him obtain it.
 
But it could relate to the free transfer that he used up when coming to TN. His last game was 1/2/21 so he practically sat out an entire year AND it ended up being the free year. I think that the COVID season and the early season ending injury could be extenuating circumstances. Had the season not been shortened due to COVID he would have been close to getting a medical waiver. He didn’t get the same benefit as other players did with the free year. They all were able to play 3 more months of ball without using up any eligibility.

Plus the extenuating circumstance that the NCAA won’t say out loud is that they have been relaxing eligibility rules quite a bit (NIL, free transfer, COVID year), here’s a kid that had a very serious injury participating in their monopoly, and they’d be negatively affecting his opportunity to become a professional ball player if he had to sit out yet another extended period of time. They are opening themselves up to litigation.

I think they’ll grant him a waiver - especially if Barnes helps him obtain it.
I guess the NCAA could decide to suddenly have a heart, and rule in the benefit of the student-athlete.

I do, however, think the idea of ruling against him as negatively affecting his ability to pursue professional basketball is an enormous stretch because the article about his transfer included the fact that he chose Washington State over a professional opportunity in Australia, which we already knew about. Not sure his camp would have a leg to stand on if that's the angle they pursued in any sort of lawsuit.

To me, if the NCAA wants to make an example of him, they have a great case...

1.) You received and used your free transfer.
2.) You played last year with no signs of ill-affects from the previous injury.
3.) You've changed schools 6 times in 6 years going back to the summer between your FR and SO year of high school.
4.) With the grad transfer rule still in effect, there is a chance you graduate, next summer, and are free to transfer, again.

JMO, but unless Tennessee assists in bending the truth, or there are circumstances we aren't aware of, publicly, then he doesn't have much of a case.
 
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I guess the NCAA could decide to suddenly have a heart, and rule in the benefit of the student-athlete.

I do, however, think the idea of ruling against him as negatively affecting his ability to pursue professional basketball is an enormous stretch because the article about his transfer included the fact that he chose Washington State over a professional opportunity in Australia, which we already knew about. Not sure his camp would have a leg to stand on if that's the angle they pursued in any sort of lawsuit.

To me, if the NCAA wants to make an example of him, they have a great case...

1.) You received and used your free transfer.
2.) You played last year with no signs of ill-affects from the previous injury.
3.) You've changed schools 6 times in 6 years going back to the summer between your FR and SO year of high school.
4.) With the grad transfer rule still in effect, there is a chance you graduate, next summer, and are free to transfer, again.

JMO, but unless Tennessee assists in bending the truth, or there are circumstances we aren't aware of, publicly, then he doesn't have much of a case.

I would give zero weight to #3. High school transfers have nothing to do with the NCAA.

As far as his immediate professional option, he could feel that he needs more work. Especially after the set back from his traumatic brain injury that he incurred while being a pawn in the NCAA system.

His peers are in the NCAA. He needs the work versus that competition.

I think that the traumatic brain injury is the only extenuating circumstance that he needs to base an appeal on. A pandemic is an enhancer. The NCAA doesn’t want litigation.
 
I also think that he wouldn’t have transferred to WSU if he wasn’t getting favorable feedback that he’d be immediately eligible. Otherwise, unless he wants to take a year off, it’s a head scratcher.
 
From the NCAA’s perspective, they can avoid setting a precedent because there was a serious injury AND a pandemic. By granting a waiver they aren’t necessarily opening the door even wider. They’ll come off looking really bad by making a kid that has already sat out most of one year sit out an additional year. What is the down side to the NCAA? By denying they generate bad pub plus might have to defend themselves from a potential plaintiff.

The NCAA is a feckless entity. I think they’ll grant immediate eligibility. If there was a 50/50 prop bet I’d take it.
 
I would give zero weight to #3. High school transfers have nothing to do with the NCAA.

As far as his immediate professional option, he could feel that he needs more work. Especially after the set back from his traumatic brain injury that he incurred while being a pawn in the NCAA system.

His peers are in the NCAA. He needs the work versus that competition.

I think that the traumatic brain injury is the only extenuating circumstance that he needs to base an appeal on. A pandemic is an enhancer. The NCAA doesn’t want litigation.
I'm not saying his high school transfer history should have a bearing on his college transfer decision, but I can't say that it doesn't provide further context to his nomadic basketball existence. Three colleges in three years is only further bolstered by the fact that he played at three different high school programs, as well. It just doesn't help his case.

I just don't see how the "traumatic" brain injury plays a role in his transfer from Tennessee to Washington State. I know that you historically love playing devil's advocate, but IMO, I think you're reaching in this case.

The rules are the rules and supposedly, the free transfer was done to alleviate the need to apply and process waivers, thus making it tougher to obtain one. I just don't believe he has much of a case to overrule the much more black and white transfer parameters currently in place. Would the NCAA buckle at the threat of a lawsuit? Possibly. I just don't know how much of a legal case Powell even has, and what kind of precedent his legal team could put together.
 
I'm not saying his high school transfer history should have a bearing on his college transfer decision, but I can't say that it doesn't provide further context to his nomadic basketball existence. Three colleges in three years is only further bolstered by the fact that he played at three different high school programs, as well. It just doesn't help his case.

I just don't see how the "traumatic" brain injury plays a role in his transfer from Tennessee to Washington State. I know that you historically love playing devil's advocate, but IMO, I think you're reaching in this case.

The rules are the rules and supposedly, the free transfer was done to alleviate the need to apply and process waivers, thus making it tougher to obtain one. I just don't believe he has much of a case to overrule the much more black and white transfer parameters currently in place. Would the NCAA buckle at the threat of a lawsuit? Possibly. I just don't know how much of a legal case Powell even has, and what kind of precedent his legal team could put together.
Concussion is a traumatic brain injury because it involves trauma — an external force. There’s no reason to put quotes around it, he most definitely got hit in the head.
 
I'm not saying his high school transfer history should have a bearing on his college transfer decision, but I can't say that it doesn't provide further context to his nomadic basketball existence. Three colleges in three years is only further bolstered by the fact that he played at three different high school programs, as well. It just doesn't help his case.

I just don't see how the "traumatic" brain injury plays a role in his transfer from Tennessee to Washington State. I know that you historically love playing devil's advocate, but IMO, I think you're reaching in this case.

The rules are the rules and supposedly, the free transfer was done to alleviate the need to apply and process waivers, thus making it tougher to obtain one. I just don't believe he has much of a case to overrule the much more black and white transfer parameters currently in place. Would the NCAA buckle at the threat of a lawsuit? Possibly. I just don't know how much of a legal case Powell even has, and what kind of precedent his legal team could put together.

The NCAA rules are a joke. Roy had a fake academic program to keep his players eligible. Zero repercussions. They’re scared of Few. I just don’t see an upside for them to make Powell sit out of even more games during his college experience. If it was ONLY the concussion then the downside would be that they’re setting a precedent. The injury coupled with the pandemic disruption gives them an out.
 
Concussion is a traumatic brain injury because it involves trauma — an external force. There’s no reason to put quotes around it, he most definitely got hit in the head.
I'm not arguing the legitimacy of his injury at the time it occurred. I'm arguing the seriousness of the residual effects that would have altered his physical ability to play basketball a year later in which he somehow managed to appear in 30 games.

Continually referring to it as traumatic seemed like an attempt to dress up the present-day severity of it to further legitimize the argument he'd have before the NCAA committee ruling on his eligibility.

It certainly wasn't callous enough in nature to warrant your white knight reaction.
 
The NCAA rules are a joke. Roy had a fake academic program to keep his players eligible. Zero repercussions. They’re scared of Few. I just don’t see an upside for them to make Powell sit out of even more games during his college experience. If it was ONLY the concussion then the downside would be that they’re setting a precedent. The injury coupled with the pandemic disruption gives them an out.
And you may be right. His decision to transfer seems to indicate that he believes he has a case. I just don't agree with it. The precedent the NCAA is setting by granting him immediate eligibility seems to undermine the idea that they've already given everyone a free transfer. There will always be a reason that someone believes is justifiable. Covid-19, record inflation, gas prices affecting family or personal travel, etc.
 
I'm not arguing the legitimacy of his injury at the time it occurred. I'm arguing the seriousness of the residual effects that would have altered his physical ability to play basketball a year later in which he somehow managed to appear in 30 games.

Continually referring to it as traumatic seemed like an attempt to dress up the present-day severity of it to further legitimize the argument he'd have before the NCAA committee ruling on his eligibility.

It certainly wasn't callous enough in nature to warrant your white knight reaction.

I’m not dressing up anything. He had a severe injury, received zero compensation while coaches and administrators made millions, and he deserves to be permitted go after an opportunity without those overpriced pencil pushers restricting his freedom of movement. They gave every other player an additional year of eligibility whether they played in 30 games or, in his case, 10.
 
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