UNLV football coach Dan Mullen sharply criticized the NCAA on Tuesday over the continued ineligibility of defensive lineman Cohen Fuller, calling the situation "a tragedy." Fuller remains sidelined after being denied twice for a temporary restraining order that would have prevented the NCAA from declaring him ineligible for the 2025 season.
"We're waiting," Mullen said after practice. "I wish the NCAA — you look at the class of 2022 and all these kids are going pro in something other than sports — I think that's their message. But what an unbelievable deal — instead of trying to destroy all their lives if they took all the money they've wasted trying to ruin these kids."
Fuller sued the NCAA in June after the association ruled he had exhausted his eligibility. In July, a U.S. District Judge in Denver ruled that many 2022 high school graduates who ran out of playing time under NCAA rules could compete in a fifth season. Chief U.S. District Judge Andrew Gordon subsequently ruled Fuller could play, but a federal appeals court paused that injunction.
Mullen suggested geography played a role in the outcome. "The Cohen situation … I guess if we were someplace else around the country the judge would have cleared him," he said. He also contrasted Fuller's case with high-profile quarterbacks, saying, "I guess Cohen Fuller can't make the money for the NCAA that (former Vanderbilt quarterback) Diego Pavia made for them last year or (Mississippi quarterback) Trinidad Chambliss is making this year."
Mullen argued the NCAA is fighting against athletes simply seeking an education. "The 2022 class, the kids who were good enough already went pro. These are just kids trying to get an opportunity to better their lives and get an education. That's the one thing the NCAA is spending billions of dollars fighting. It's a tragedy."
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
English (US)·