When Donte Hill committed to Clemson I doubt his freshman year vision included hardly playing and scoring a total of 32 points on the season. He had been recruited by Oliver Purnell, but then found himself playing under Brad Brownell after Purnell was let go.
When his sophomore year rolled around, he planned on staying with the team. But after one scrimmage he changed his mind and decided to transfer. He ultimately landed at Old Dominion where he's played for the past two years. He hasn't been a star, but he's been a steady contributor for the Monarchs.
Now, heading into his senior season, he had to apply for a waiver from the NCAA in order to be eligible. This was just to have all his paperwork in order. He's only played three seasons, and taken one redshirt year. It's not like the NCAA would deny him, right?
The NCAA, seeking to reinforce the fact that they are run by a bunch of bureaucratic loving idiots, denied his waiver because he played 8 minutes in a scrimmage with Clemson in 2010. Eight minutes. In a closed scrimmage. They ruled that the scrimmage constituted a year of eligibility.
You can't make this stuff up.
In an unrelated story, here's NCAA President Mark Emmert in 2010: “We must be student-centered in all that we do. The Association was founded on the notion of integrating athletics into the educational experience, and we have to make sure we deliver on that 100-year-old promise. We have to remind ourselves that this is about the young men and women we asked to come to our schools for a great educational experience. We have to collectively deliver on those promises. That’s what you care about. That’s why we’re in this business.”
