Avon's Fitzgerald ruled ineligible at IU due to a mistake by the school

BLOOMINGTON – Bryant Fitzgerald, an Avon alumnus who IU coach Tom Allen considered one of his most promising true freshmen, has been ruled a final nonqualifier, rendering him ineligible for the upcoming football season. 

According to a news release, Fitzgerald's ineligibility "was caused by a mistake by the Office of Compliance Services of the Indiana University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, which inaccurately advised him regarding his eligibility requirements."

"Had that mistake not occurred," the release reads, "Fitzgerald would have had ample time and opportunity to establish his eligibility. This was a mistake by the department, not Fitzgerald and not the football program."

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IU filed a waiver request with the NCAA to restore Fitzgerald's eligibility earlier this month. That request was rejected Monday, and an appeal of that decision was denied Friday. 

Included in the release is a strongly worded statement from IU athletic director Fred Glass, alternately assuming blame for the mistake and also calling into question the NCAA's final decision. 

"His ineligibility is not his fault. It is ours," Glass said in the release. "On behalf of myself and everyone associated with IU Athletics, I personally apologize to Bryant and his family for our mistake. While it was an isolated and unintended one, it is no less devastating to Bryant, and I could not feel worse about it. The process leading to the mistake has been fixed and redundancies added, and we are very confident nothing like this will ever happen again.

"I am very disappointed in the NCAA for not granting our waiver request nor our appeal. Bryant should not have to bear the brunt of our mistake, and the NCAA could have, and should have, remedied that in the interest of this student’s well-being, who is in this situation though absolutely no fault of his own."

Fitzgerald will be ineligible to practice and play for the upcoming season, but he can retain all other benefits of his scholarship. Provided he rectifies whatever academic issue is in play, Fitzgerald's eligibility can be restored while at IU. 

The release does not comment on what specifically caused the problem with Fitzgerald's eligibility, as such information is protected by privacy laws. As a true freshman, Fitzgerald has a redshirt year available to him, and presumably will take that, retaining four more years of eligibility following this season. 

Allen had referenced Fitzgerald as one of the Hoosiers' standout true freshmen through summer workouts and fall camp. He was expected to compete with fifth-year senior Jayme Thompson, among others, for snaps behind Marcelino Ball at IU's "husky" spot, a hybrid safety/linebacker position important to Allen's 4-2-5 scheme.

Follow IndyStar reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.