ESPN
The NCAA has a long and storied history of screwing student-athletes over at every possible turn but I’m not sure if there’s any story that highlights the organization’s ineptitude better than that of Brock Hoffman.
I first learned about Hoffman a few months ago when his name popped into the news after the NCAA refused to grant him a medical hardship waiver after he transferred from Coastal Carolina to Virginia Tech in order to be closer to his mother, who is currently battling a brain tumor.
Under NCAA rules, a player must reside within 100 miles of the family member they’re tending to and some genius decided that the 105-mile distance between Virginia Tech and Hoffman’s hometown is simply unacceptable.
The offensive lineman would appeal the decision, but this week, the NCAA confirmed it’s a walking back of dicks masquerading as a governing body when it officially denied his request for immediate eligibility—an announcement that caught the attention of Scott Van Pelt, who promised Hoffman he wasn’t alone in his fight.
I have your back, 76.
Tonight's One Big Thing. https://t.co/3QmIWcJ4N9
— Scott Van Pelt (@notthefakeSVP) August 28, 2019
On Wednesday, the SportsCenter anchor dedicated his One Big Thing segment to the situation and made it clear he’s very displeased with the NCAA.
The entire thing is worth a watch but here’s the most notable part of his monologue via Awful Announcing:
“The irony is they could have applied because Brock’s coach who recruited him at Coastal stepped down in January, but they chose the medical hardship route because, well, if your mom is recovering from a brain tumor, isn’t that what this is?
Nope. Sorry.
Look, I understand every case is unique. I don’t know why some transfers get approved and this one didn’t. Maybe the NCAA could explain it in a way that might make some sense to me.”
Given the NCAA’s impressively poor track record when it comes to adequately explaining itself, Scott’s probably not going to want to hold his breath.