Badgers request "telephonic hearing" with NCAA committee for Micah Potter

MADISON -- The Micah Potter eligibility saga took another turn late this week. After Wisconsin's 82-53 exhibition win over UW-La Crosse and in answering a post-game question, head coach Greg Gard noted that there had been a request submitted on Friday for a "telephonic hearing" with the NCAA Committee for Legislative Relief (CLR).

"We have requested as of late this afternoon or tonight, we have requested -- I’m trying to get the right terminology here -- a telephonic hearing with the legislative relief committee that it had gone to the second time after the staff had denied it," Gard said. "We have learned that that is a part of the process now where Micah, his representation, our institution, and the NCAA staff can all be on a phone call with the seven-member committee.

"We want to give Micah an opportunity, or we really feel strongly that Micah should have an opportunity to state his case verbally to the committee, each of those people individually. Obviously they will be on a conference call if it’s granted."

According to Gard, the chair of the CLR makes the call whether to grant this particular hearing and then there's a 10-day deadline to convene.

“It just went in earlier today, so that’s the next step that we’re at right now in terms of what we feel is right," Gard said. "You’ve heard me talk about it before and the right thing to do. I mean the kid’s going to graduate here this spring. He’s going to be in grad school next year. He’s done everything we’ve asked of him. He hasn’t played in a year. I’ve seen all these other waivers being approved where guys played last year.

"I know circumstances vary from player to player, from student-athlete to student-athlete, but hopefully with Micah and his representation and our university being able to really state the case and why we feel he should be eligible immediately, and they can hear that directly from the student-athlete themselves."

Potter transferred to Wisconsin last December from Ohio State, but a waiver was previously filed to have the forward be eligible at the start of the 2019-20 season, rather than after the first semester.

Gard brought up how the NCAA is "changing so much for student-athlete welfare" and noted the recent announcement of recommendations regarding name, image and likeness.

“The problem is that’s not gonna really come to surface for two-to-three years," Gard said. "That’s going to be in court and get volley-balled all over the place. Micah Potter’s got 18 months left in his college career, and the hands of time, so to speak, are ticking. I don’t feel it’s right to have him continue to wait when the timeline anyway is such a small window that these young men have to play. They’ve got eight semesters to compete -- and if he gets one taken away, he’s already sat out a whole year -- if he gets one taken away, he loses 1/8th of his whole career just by sitting."

On the next question, a reporter asked for clarification if this was not the committee that originally decided the matter.

“There’s two," Gard said. "There’s the NCAA staff, and then there’s the legislative relief committee, and it’s going back to that committee. That’s a request that it goes back to that in a telephone hearing.”

For sake of clarity, BadgerBlitz.com embedded Gard's postgame press conference and transcribed the additional follow-up questions and answers. We have also asked UW for confirmation that it received another denial this week.

When we asked you Monday, what’s the next step if you get a negative answer, is this request ... because you got a negative answer?

“It’s part of it. The negative answer was more on the rationale of why they were denying it.”

So sometime between Monday and today, you got a response?

“Correct. Correct. But also, we had learned of the telephone hearing opportunity before we got the second rationale back, so now we feel that’s right and part of the due process that Micah should be allowed to speak his case to the committee.”

Are you allowed to publicly share the rationale?

“No, I don’t think I am. I don’t know it off the top of my head anyway, but that’s for compliance and administration.”