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Two Syracuse Athletes May All of a Sudden Be Ineligible to Play
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- Two Syracuse Athletes May All of a Sudden Be Ineligible to Play
In the latest "round and round again" between the NCAA and college alumni, it appears that Syracuse football player Justus Ross-Simmons and hopeful SU basketball player Amarri Monroe are going to be ruled ineligible , at least for now.
It's complex, so here's where we are at right now:
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The age-based eligibility model
The NCAA adopted a new rule this summer that gives athletes five years to play seasons, with a few exceptions.
As a result, there are no more redshirt years and no more medical redshirts. If a player sits out a year, for any reason, they will just have four years of eligibility as they did before.
This rule also applies to student-athletes that were freshman through juniors during the last academic year.
For instance, Kiyan Anthony just played his freshman season. Under the new system, he'll have four more years of eligibility if he wants to use them all.
Syracuse Orange wide receiver Justus Ross-Simmons (12) carries the ball against the Duke Blue Devils in the fourth quarter at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
However, the high school graduates of 2022 that became the college senior athletes from the Class of 2026 were not given this extra year. Recently graduated athletes from around the college landscape are now fighting for that year extra, and there are injunctions in many places that have granted it.
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As a result, Ross-Simmons, who spent the last two years at Syracuse, was back at practice this week preparing for his extra year. Monroe, who previously played at Quinnipiac, is ready to join the men's basketball team.
However, the NCAA is fighting these injunctions and this latest ruling spells doom for those two players.
So, what next?
Part of the reason why this is so confusing is that several of the lawsuits on behalf of the players were filed in different states. As a result, some states have issued "yes," and some states are being handled differently. It appears that the NCAA is fighting each of these lawsuits on a case-by-case and state-by-state basis.
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How can you end up with some of these fifth-year players eligible and some not?
Eventually, there will have to be a blanket ruling one way or the other. But as of now, we don't have it.
So even though Ross-Simmons and Monroe are ineligible for the moment, they may be eligible again soon.
Elsewhere in Syracuse news
--The Syracuse men's hoop team will take on Siena in an exhibition contest on Oct. 18 at MVP Arena. This game will be extra special for a group of Syracuse players, and here's why.
Syracuse is coming off a 15-17 campaign last season. The Orange haven't been to the NCAA Tournament since the 2021 event.
