Ohio State did a lot more than assist Blue Smith's eligibility waiver, they submitted it on his behalf
You will not see this happen too much in college football these days.
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News broke Wednesday morning that ex-Ohio State wide receiver L’Christian “Blue” Smith received an immediate eligibility waiver at Cincinnati. That means Smith will suit up for the Bearcats this fall. More information was revealed later in the day when Bearcats head coach Luke Fickell praised the Buckeyes for assisting in helping Smith obtain the eligibility waiver.
Well, it appears Ohio State did a lot more than just assist in the process. According to Justin Williams with The Athletic, the Buckeyes submitted the waiver request on Smith’s behalf. They also included medical documentation that aided the NCAA in the ruling:
In Smith’s case, Ohio State initiated the waiver for reasons relating to the player’s health and supported it with medical documentation, which allowed the NCAA’s Council Subcommittee for Legislative Relief to waive the one-year residence requirement for transfers in accordance with its bylaws.
Fickell went on to discuss that there are always a number of reasons that go into why a player may or may not transfer. A lot of times, these reasons go beyond playing time and can sometimes deal with the overall health and well-being of the athlete.
In the case of Smith, Fickell indicated mental health was a part of the transfer:
“(Mental health is) part of it. Any time these guys are leaving or transferring, it’s not because they can’t play a lot of times,” said Fickell…“There are a lot of other situations and reasons in there. When they evaluate what’s best for some of these guys, in particular, Blue, (the NCAA) got it right.”
It is refreshing to see the Buckeyes step out and do what is best for the player in this situation.
For more information, you can visit The Athletic (subscription).
