INDIANAPOLIS—The
NCAA student-athlete reinstatement staff announced today it has
reinstated the eligibility of University of Southern California
football student-athlete Dwayne Jarrett.
Jarrett,
a junior at USC, must pay $5,352 to a charity of his choice for
receiving extra benefits from a teammate’s family that included
discounted rent at an apartment. Jarrett will not be required to sit
out any competition for the 2006-07 season.
“Mr. Jarrett made a mistake, and we believe that had he known he was
required to pay his full share of the rent for the apartment, he would
not have chosen to live there,” said Jennifer Strawley, NCAA director
of membership services and student-athlete reinstatement.
“Reinstatement is a delicate balance of addressing the benefit or
competitive advantage gained with student-athlete well being. In this
instance, requiring some level of repayment was a fair and reasonable
outcome given the specific facts.”
According to the facts of the case submitted by USC, Jarrett lived with
a teammate for 13 months in an apartment that cost $3,866 a month.
Jarrett paid $650 a month toward the rent and did not pay any utilities.
He
is required to pay the full value of his $960 monthly housing stipend,
minus what he already paid in rent, plus half the cost of utilities for
the time he lived in the apartment. The total value of the benefit
Jarrett received by living in the apartment was $18,001.
“The reinstatement staff concluded that Mr. Jarrett gained a benefit
based on his living arrangements,” Strawley said. “Requiring him to pay
the full value of his housing stipend and his share of the utility
costs not only considers all the facts in the case but also provides a
student-friendly decision that allows him to compete without missing
any games.”
Following a
review by the NCAA’s Legislative Review Interpretations Committee,
which consists of representatives from NCAA-member colleges,
universities and athletic conferences, the NCAA informed USC on June 15
that a violation had occurred in this case.
USC
submitted its request for Jarrett’s reinstatement on July 9, and after
an initial review the NCAA requested additional information from the
university on July 21. USC provided the complete information requested
from the NCAA on August 7, which allowed the reinstatement staff to
reach its decision today.
The university can appeal the decision to the NCAA Student-Athlete
Reinstatement Committee, an independent committee comprised of
representatives from NCAA member colleges, universities and athletic
conferences.
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