According to [a Monday report from Seth Davis, of The Athletic,][1] the Kansas men’s basketball program is prepared to rule KU sophomore Silvio De Sousa ineligible and request that the NCAA immediately reinstate him.
Davis’ report, which cites multiple sources who claim KU is prepared to “formally acknowledge to the NCAA that a violation took place,” answers the question that KU officials would or could not last week.
[When reached by the Journal-World last month for clarity in De Sousa’s case, an NCAA spokesperson said that NCAA rules require KU to first rule the player ineligible, then submit a request for reinstatement before the NCAA can even begin to review the case.][2]
When asked last week if KU either had ruled De Sousa ineligible or submitted a request for reinstatement to the NCAA, KU associate director Jim Marchiony told the Journal-World, “We cannot get into any particulars, but everyone is working together for a resolution that is best for all parties involved.”
Without knowledge of whether KU had submitted a request, it was hard to know whether the NCAA was simply moving slowly, as many critics claim, or if De Sousa’s case was even being reviewed at all.
Davis’ report, if accurate, would suggest that the NCAA, per standard procedure of eligibility reviews, has not even formally been reviewing De Sousa’s case.
However, the report also addresses what the NCAA has been doing while De Sousa has sat in street clothes waiting to find out more about his status, which has been in limbo as Kansas coach Bill Self voluntarily has elected to hold De Sousa out of competition while waiting for some kind of guidance or answer regarding whether the 6-foot-9 sophomore from Angola would be eligible if he played.
“Over the last three months, Kansas has been working directly with members of the NCAA’s enforcement division to investigate the matter and agree upon a set of facts,” Davis wrote. “There is no guarantee the NCAA will accede to Kansas’ wishes, and there is no standard for how long the NCAA must take to render a decision. However, the anticipated step raises the possibility that De Sousa could play for the Jayhawks this season.”
According to Davis’ sources, KU’s formal request to reinstate De Sousa is expected to be submitted to the NCAA’s Academic and Membership Affairs Group as early as this week.
KU officials on Monday morning had no further comment on De Sousa’s status or Davis’ report.
The violations in question, of course, stem from De Sousa’s recruitment and its role in the recent college basketball corruption investigation, which revealed in federal trial that De Sousa’s guardian, Fenny Falmagne, allegedly received a $60,000 payment from Under Armour to steer De Sousa to Maryland and later requested $20,000 from an Adidas rep to help him “get out from under” the Under Armour payment so De Sousa could attend KU.
Also in play is an alleged $2,500 payment from Adidas rep T.J. Gassnola to Falmagne to help De Sousa enroll in online classes so he could attend KU after graduating from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., a semester early.
[1]: https://theathletic.com/765406/2019/01/14/hoop-thoughts-exclusive-kansas-will-ask-ncaa-to-reinstate-silvio-de-sousa/#_=_
[2]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2019/jan/06/udoka-azubuike-injury-shifts-focus-even-more-statu/?mens_basketball
