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Inside Cougar Report: Archie makes his appeal |
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Dick Harmon | Monday, December 30, 2002, 10:04 am
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It ain't over until the big boy sings.
Outland Trophy candidate Ben Archibald has been turned down for his request for an extra year (hardship) following his broken leg in two-a-days last August.
This is not unusual in these cases. The rules are clear and it's almost a rubber stamp turn down by the NCAA.
Now he will appeal his request to an eligibility/hardship committee that will look at his file more closely. All of BYU's coaches believe Archibald's chances are excellent to get that extra year.
Archibald, one of the team's most respected team members, played three seasons in four years but did not step on the field for a game his senior year. There is also the possibility that Archibald, just to accentuate the point, could threaten a law suit if his eligibility is not restored. Before he was injured, Archibald was considered one of the top offensive linemen in the country, almost a shoe-in NFL draft pick in the low rounds. When he got hurt, that hurt his chances at making a living. If the NCAA forbids him to have his senior year, it would further damage his chances at an NFL career because he cannot prove himself on the field once more.
His case seems automatic when you consider how many Utah football players in recent years have actually ended up playing six or seven years for Utah.
As a side note, I caught that awful flu this weekend. Anybody else got it? It's that achy, sniffles stuff with a sore throat. It's a virus. Battling this, I'll be working on the second installment on the Answer Queue and try to have it out by either today or Tuesday..
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