Duje Dukan suspended by the NCAA?

[IWB]

This has got to be the dumbest suspension I have ever seen.

Dukan played limited minutes in a scrimmage and an exhibition game two years ago while recovering from mono. Still weak, he decided it was best to take a year off to recover physically. The NCAA approved his additional year of eligibility, but required him to sit out for the scrimmage and exhibition game this year as a 'suspension'.

How absurd is that? Yes, it is only a scrimmage and exhibition game, but still, this makes zero sense.

I have been backing the NCAA in the constant bashing they get from the Big 5, but moves like this make it hard to take them seriously.

Bilas had a great tweet about it...

Jay Bilas ‏@JayBilas
NCAA makes world safer from renegade programs (like Wisconsin) exploiting mononucleosis for improper gain: http://es.pn/1tLzBGn

[russguss]

Hmmmm Seems like Bo can sure twist the rules for UW. 1st Brust and the Big 10,11,12,14.... and now the NCAA...Imagine what the rodents would be saying if MU had done that... Just sayin'....:cool:

[Nukem2]

Yes, its goofy. But, OTOH, those are the rules and they have been in place for a long time. Bo knew the rule when Dukan was sick and still let Duje play in those events. Whether he was sick or injured is irrelevant. They must have had a discussion before letting him play back then given the rules. This is really on Bo, his staff and UW's compliance co-ordinator. Guess there are two ways of looking at this. Unfortunate and silly, but......... As russguss posted.......

[MUMac]

I had heard that they did not approve it or feel it qualified as a Medical Redshirt and considered it his normal redshirt year. As you could not play in a scrimmage or game (exhibition or otherwise) when redshirting, the NCAA chose to penalize him the games rather than the full season. Everyone knew the rules at the time the decision was made.

Now, you can debate the merits of denying the medical redshirt decision by the NCAA. That, to me, is the bigger debate.

[IWB]

I agree fully Mac, and that is part of my point. Rules are rules, but when does common sense take over? There are guys that bend and break the rules, but situations like this are odd. What is a medical redshirt? Take Alondo Tucker - played against MU 5 times. Yes, he blew his knee ending his season, but when the eligibility comes into question why does he get the first 6 games over? Because a knee injury is more serious than mono? Probably, but is that right? Why does a more serious injury allow for more games when a lesser injury/illness nullifies them?

This is where the NCAA either has to adjust their rules or have a rider in there allowing for common sense. Look at my man Drew Windler from the Scion Dental Milwaukee Summer Pro-Am. Drew was a stick coming out of high school. Samford offers him a scholarship, but wanted him to redshirt his freshman year to put on weight. He did. He then played for two years for Samford and did very well. Then there is a coaching change. In comes Bennie Seltzer. Over three years with the program Drew has established himself as the leader of the team, so Bennie thought it best to use him as an example of how things were gonna be. It didn't go well. Bennie showed Drew the door. Drew's parents tried to get involved but Bennie wouldn't even discuss things, so they had to deal with the AD. Bennie gets rid of him, but then refuses to sign his release form.

So Drew transfers to Belmont. Has to sit out due to transfer rules. NCAA would not grant him the waiver, so he was only allowed to compete at Belmont for one year because he took a redshirt his freshman year. Some guys get 4+, Drew got 3. Why, because Bennie Seltzer didn't want him? How is that fair? Time to use common sense.

[Litehouse]

Isn't a criteria for medical red-shirt that the player is not able to return that season from the injury? Tucker was not able to return. Dukan had mono in Nov/Dec and I assume the NCAA declared he could have returned.

I haven't followed Dukan's career, but what year would this be for him now? Is it his last year and if the NCAA wouldn't have allowed him to play with the suspension he was done? Or does he now have an extra year to play next year?

[MUMac]

Isn't a criteria for medical red-shirt that the player is not able to return that season from the injury? Tucker was not able to return. Dukan had mono in Nov/Dec and I assume the NCAA declared he could have returned.

I haven't followed Dukan's career, but what year would this be for him now? Is it his last year and if the NCAA wouldn't have allowed him to play with the suspension he was done? Or does he now have an extra year to play next year?

I do not believe that to be correct. Say someone is able to return the last 1/10th of the season. They could still qualify for a Medical Redshirt.

The problem with Dukan's situation is that he had Mono, recovered and then played. It would be similar to the discussions last year about Steve Taylor. He had the knee surgery, recovered and then played. Without reinjury, that alone may have voided any potential for a medical redshirt.

[IWB]

I do believe Mac is correct here, but that is also where I have the question. With something like Mono, I assume the kid lost a lot of weight and strength. Sure he gets cleared, as the mono is gone, but you really don't realize how much you lost until you try to do it again. After two attempts at a return, he felt like he just wasn't able to compete. Was him having competing in a scrimmage and an exhibition game really an unfair eligibility advantage that warranted a suspension? No.

[Nukem2]

I do believe Mac is correct here, but that is also where I have the question. With something like Mono, I assume the kid lost a lot of weight and strength. Sure he gets cleared, as the mono is gone, but you really don't realize how much you lost until you try to do it again. After two attempts at a return, he felt like he just wasn't able to compete. Was him having competing in a scrimmage and an exhibition game really an unfair eligibility advantage that warranted a suspension? No.

But, that's my point. Bo and the extended UW family should have known that. They failed? How can NCAA police what the school can't...? Need to treat stuff like mono like a serious injury. For theNCAA, it's damned if you do and damned if you don't.

[TheSultan]

I think what drives people crazy about the NCAA is that they micro manage rules like this....while they don't do anything about Lance Thomas and Duke or what is going on at UNC. I think the appropriate phrase is "fiddling while Rome burns."