Second, Third Verse....Same as the First

Been There Done That.


OXFORD — Former Wayne County High defensive tackle Jerrell Powe won’t report for football practice at any college until at least next week, according to his attorney, Don Jackson.
Jackson said Powe is waiting for the NCAA to rule on his academic eligibility status and Jackson isn’t sure when the decision will be announced.Powe has been connected to the Ole Miss program since February of 2005, when he signed a binding national letter of intent. Powe has failed, however, to gain academic eligiblity.He is not bound by scholarship papers to Ole Miss for this fall, but his attorney has said Powe wants to play for the Rebels if he is declared eligible — and if Ole Miss will put him on scholarship.Ole Miss officials, citing the fact that Powe is considered a recruitable athlete under NCAA guidelines, have declined to talk about Powe and whether they’ll award him a scholarship.Jackson said Linda Salfrank, a Kansas City-based attorney representing the NCAA, has informed him there’s a “chance” the organization will request more information before it can make a ruling on Powe’s status, but what — if anything — is needed won’t be known until Monday.Jackson referred to the news as an “unofficial suspension” of the case and one that could cost Powe valuable practice time. Last week, Jackson said he was hoping a decision on Powe’s case would be made as early as today.“The majority of schools report this weekend,” Jackson said. “What they are doing is an intentional effort to prevent this young man to have an opportunity to sign a scholarship.”Ole Miss newcomers are scheduled to report Thursday, with veterans coming in Friday and practice starting Saturday.Salfrank did not immediately return messages today. Neither did NCAA representatives.The delay is another chapter in Powe’s ongoing quest to become academically eligible.He signed with Ole Miss in 2005, but because he didn’t meet the NCAA’s freshman academic eligibilty requirements he instead attended Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy during the 2005-06 school year.Powe signed with Ole Miss again in 2006, but he was declared ineligible after the NCAA ruled Powe received too much help from his tutor with online, independent studies courses from Brigham Young University.Powe did not sign with Ole Miss in 2007. He re-enrolled in high school, took classes online and completed work in July.Jackson said everything has been submitted to the NCAA for “several weeks” and the organization should have “5,000 pages” of Powe’s academic records.“We all know why they’re waiting until Monday,” Jackson said. “They’re waiting to try to push him back so that he can’t get onto a field this year.”
(Clarion Ledger)