NCAA Shows They Have No Heart and Reportedly Won't Give Winter Athletes Extra Year of Eligibility
By Jack Murphy
Due to the fast spread of the coronavirus, just about all televised sports have been either postponed or completely cancelled for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately because of this pandemic, the NCAA Tournament has been canceled for the 2020 year, leaving fans and players wondering what could have been.
Despite not being able to finish out their senior seasons, basketball players will reportedly not be granted an extra year of eligibility and their collegiate careers seem to be over in a heartbreaking fashion.
Sources: The NCAA is unlikely to grant an extra year of eligibility for student athletes who participated in winter sports and had their seasons cut short due to coronavirus.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 18, 2020
An extra year of eligibility is still in play for student athletes involved with spring sports.
The NCAA has a lot of critics, as they profit so much off of their unpaid collegiate athletes. Now they have shown how soulless they really are with their decision not to grant an extra year of eligibility to the Class of 2020.
Players such as Myles Powell, Markus Howard and Cassius Winston were destined to show off their potential this March with what could have been their last time stepping on the collegiate hardwood. They also don't have the intense March tournament to improve their draft stock for the NBA.
There is not one bad thing that can happen with these guys returning. The storylines of having some big time seniors back- some mid majors would be really good again- @ncaa lacks any understanding of what will help their product. Clown organization.
— The Encino Man (@TrojanNoleLADNE) March 18, 2020
These three players will most likely get their chance at the pros, but they are the exception not the rule. There are hundreds perhaps thousands of seniors that have played their last ever game of organized sports. They put in all the work and effort in practice all season long for one final dance just for it to be cut short.
While the NCAA made the difficult, yet correct decision to cancel the tournament amid the COVID-19 outbreak, their refusal to grant an extra year of eligibility is just cruel.