OXFORD, Miss. — In another surprising twist to a month- long saga, Mississippi quarterback Jeremiah Masoli has been cleared to play football.
Three days ago, the NCAA ruled the former Oregon quarterback had to sit out a season after enrolling at Mississippi. But the university appealed that decision and announced Friday the NCAA Division I Subcommittee for Legislative Relief had overturned the ruling.
“It’s a big lift for us, and the team’s really excited,” Rebels coach Houston Nutt said. “We feel very fortunate. Jeremiah and his family were in tears, they were so happy afterward. It’s a great feeling.”
Masoli is expected to be the Rebels’ starting quarterback, though Nutt said sophomore Nathan Stanley will start today against Jacksonville State because of the short notice.
Masoli played for Oregon the past two seasons, leading the Ducks to the 2010 Rose Bowl. But he was kicked off Oregon’s team this summer after two run-ins with police. He pleaded guilty to a second-degree burglary charge and was also cited for misdemeanor marijuana possession.
Masoli had already received an undergraduate degree from Oregon, and decided to transfer to Ole Miss, where he entered the Parks and Recreation graduate program.
The NCAA will often waive a one-year residency requirement for athletes who enter a graduate program not offered at the previous school, but initially didn’t clear Masoli because “the waiver exists to provide relief to student-athletes who transfer for academic reasons to pursue graduate studies, not to avoid disciplinary measures at the previous university.”
