When it comes to calling out stupid decisions, the NCAA has always been an easy target over the years. It may not be true that they are wrong most of the time, but it seems to be the case,
Every once in a while, they succeed. And when it comes to the all-important topic of mental health these days, they made the right call by granting former Ohio State guard DJ Carton immediate eligibility following his transfer to Marquette in April.
Granting him the waiver to not have to sit out a year sends an important message that they will take mental health issues seriously, and they didn’t want to punish Carton for wanting – or needing? – a change of scenery.
Carton is a native of Bettendorf, Iowa, and was a heavily recruited point guard in the class of 2019. He played well at Ohio State, averaging 10.4 points and 3.0 assists over the 20 matches he played. But on January 30, he tweeted that his mental health wasn’t quite right and he needed to get away from basketball.
He spent a few weeks at home before returning to campus for classes in late February, but he never officially returned to the team. He announced his transfer decision in mid-March and chose Marquette.
A few years ago, Carton’s decision to transfer just because he was sad would never have been accepted by the NCAA in terms of getting a waiver from having to sit out a year. Now it’s more important, so they did the right thing.
It’s a hot topic these days. The Big Ten announced a mental health initiative In early May, representatives from the 14 schools formed a committee to help promote the topic. This is a big step forward in an area of health problems that is long overdue.
Getting Carton back on the field is good for the kid, and that’s all that should really matter.
“He’s very excited.” Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “He’s grateful for all the hard work that went into it. He was very happy with the NCAA’s decision. He’s excited because the opportunity to play next year wasn’t a given.”
The NCAA is also known for dragging its feet on waiver requests, and it has been overwhelmed this year with more transfers because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Carton’s reason is important, as is the fact that Ohio State has been cooperative throughout the process. Good for them, but it was also the right thing to do.
“I think DJ had a strong case,” Wojciechowski said. “He had the support of the people of Ohio State. I think all those things played a role. We wanted to get him as soon as possible, before the football waivers. Our compliance staff has did a great job. DJ and his family did a great job. It was really nice to work with Ohio State.
“A lot of times with waivers, you don’t know until the season starts, with practices and games quickly approaching,” he said. “This gives us a summer for the team that we are going to have to work together under the rules and guidelines of the coronavirus protocol.”
Carton has never spoken about the depth of his depression, but it’s great to see that he is feeling better and ready to resume his basketball career at Marquette. Depression and suicide are a huge problem in this country right now. More than 50,000 people committed suicide last year, and nearly 70 percent of them were men. It is the second leading cause of death among young people, which is why it is important to take it seriously.
I’ve never met DJ Carton, but I’m very supportive of him, I’ve written a lot about depression and suicide, and even has published a few books on the subject. When you do that, you live it, and it’s very hard. Sadness and tears? Everything comes with it.
So let’s hope Carton does well and things improve. Most importantly, one must hope that help is always at hand when needed, because this is a very real – and very serious – illness.
Good luck, DJ
