Another day, another development in James Madison University football try to play a game of boules: Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares has hired a law firm to represent the school in a potential lawsuit.
The law firm Andrew Kurth sent three pages later to the NCAA ahead of its decision Wednesday to deny James Madison’s postseason waiver request and is asking for a response by noon Friday.
“We fully hope and expect that the various committees and the NCAA as a whole will do the right thing and allow JMU to participate in any bowl game that its performance warrants,” the letter states. Failing that, “JMU is prepared to quickly file a lawsuit in the Western District of Virginia, asserting that the bowl ban violates antitrust and, potentially, other laws.” »
“The NCAA doesn’t care”:Fans react as James Madison football denies bowl again
“The NCAA has proven itself to be a broken institution.”
Miyares also released a statement following the NCAA’s waiver denial, saying “the NCAA has proven itself to be a broken institution that continues to make arbitrary and capricious decisions that are anti-competitive and have a profoundly negative impact on students -athletes,” JMU said. , the Commonwealth of Virginia, college football and athletes as a whole. »
The Administrative Committee of the NCAA Division I Board of Governors – the body that rejected the latest waiver request – has reaffirmed its position. The committee said the two-year requirement to prevent James Madison from participating in a bowl game this season is in place to ensure programs are in a sustainable position.
“The Board of Directors continues to believe that if Division I members do not believe the requirements are appropriate, those concerns should be addressed through rule changes rather than waiver requests,” it reads. part in the committee’s statement.
How JMU can still make a bowl game
However, the committee noted that there is still an opportunity for James Madison and Jacksonville State, which also had a waiver request denied this week, to host a bowl game. This path would not require enough bowl-eligible teams (teams with at least six wins and a winning record) to fill all the spots for all 41 bowl games in this postseason.
Although this fight for a bowl game will likely continue into December, the Dukes football program has something to look forward to this weekend. ESPN’s College Gameday Schedule will be in Harrisonburg Saturday for the No. 21-ranked Dukes’ home finale against Appalachian State.
