Kansas WR McCay has eligibility waiver denied

Kansas WR McCay has eligibility waiver denied

Published May. 2, 2012 7:39 p.m. ET

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) -- Justin McCay will have to sit on the Kansas
sidelines along with Jake Heaps next season, rather than suit up with
Dayne Crist and a bevy of other transfers.


The former Oklahoma wide receiver had
his eligibility appeal denied Wednesday by the NCAA subcommittee on
legislative relief, which ruled that no single event happened that
allowed McCay to qualify for a waiver to play in 2012 under personal
hardship guidelines.


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McCay transferred to Kansas at the
semester to be closer to family in suburban Kansas City. Although the
details of his hardship have never been made public, coach Charlie Weis
had remained optimistic that McCay would be allowed to play immediately
for the Jayhawks.


"I'm extremely disappointed that common
sense did not prevail," Weis said. "I have read all of the information
on this case and it is a shame that this case resulted in a rejection."


McCay won't be eligible to play until 2013, when he'll be a junior.


Weis again refused to discuss the
details of McCay's case, citing privacy laws, but voiced his frustration
with the way the eligibility hearing was handled by the NCAA.


The ruling body considered McCay's
appeal weeks ago, but decided on technical grounds that only the
subcommittee on legislative relief could rule in his favor. Weis said
the NCAA strongly encouraged the school to make the appeal.


"I can only say that the University of
Kansas felt the evidence was overwhelmingly in his favor," Weis said. "I
also do not understand why the NCAA had us appeal to the subcommittee
only to have received the same answer with the same rationale."


The decision marks a significant blow
to the Jayhawks, who have received a massive infusion of talent via
four-year transfers since Weis took over for the fired Turner Gill.


Crist, a former Notre Dame quarterback,
and several other players are eligible to compete this fall because
they've graduated from their previous institutions. Heaps, a former BYU
signal-caller, must sit out the upcoming season under normal NCAA
transfer guidelines.


"This is a very disappointing day for
me and my family," McCay said. "I was very hopeful throughout the
process that I would receive a more favorable result, but unfortunately
that is not how things turned out."


McCay redshirted at Oklahoma in 2010,
which means he'll lose a year of eligibility by having to sit out this
season. He played sparingly for the Sooners last season because of
injuries.


McCay would have provided a valuable
deep threat for Crist, but the team still has plenty of depth at wide
receiver. D.J. Beshears, Daymond Patterson and Kale Pick are all
experienced, and Chris Omigie and JaCorey Shepherd showed playmaking
ability during last Saturday's spring game.


"Despite the disappointment I am
feeling today, I have no regrets," McCay said. "I am very happy to be at
Kansas and I am going to go out and work hard every day to be the best
teammate I can be. Even though I won't be playing in games this year I
am going to take advantage of every opportunity I have to improve as a
player."

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