LAS VEGAS – The University of Wisconsin isn’t giving up on Nyzier Fourqurean playing for its football team this season.
Badgers coach Luke Fickell said July 23 at the Big Ten football media days that the university filed an appeal with the NCAA on Fourqurean’s behalf on July 22. The appeal is the latest move in a nine-month push for the senior cornerback to gain a fifth year of eligibility.
On July 16 the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a preliminary injunction Fourqurean received in February that allowed him to play for the Badgers. The July ruling puts his career in limbo.
That decision also brought UW and the NCAA back into the process. The NCAA initially denied Fourqurean’s request for an additional year of eligibility, which led him to turn to the courts.
“We’re not changing college football, but this is something that can change a kid’s life,” Fickell said. “This is a one (of a kind) incident. I just hope that they will sit down with him and give him an opportunity to express (himself) and look at his appeal in a different way and sees where it goes from there.”
Fickell spoke to local reporters at the media days at the Mandalay Bay Hotel. Fourqurean’s case is one of the notable matters the Badgers faced during an offseason that also included the hiring of a new offensive coordinator and filing a lawsuit against the University of Miami that alleges tampering with former Badgers cornerback Xavier Lucas.
The road to Fourqurean’s NCAA appeal started in January when he requested a fifth year of eligibility. Citing mental health challenges he faced as a member of the Grand Valley State football team in 2021 season, he argued that season should not count toward his years of eligibility.
He played sparingly in 11 games during that campaign as he struggled with the death of his father. Fourqurean offered coaches and teammates as witnesses to his state of mind and impact on the team during the season.
U.S. District Court Judge William Conley granted the injunction based on the opinion that Fourqurean would be likely to succeed in his claim – that the NCAA’s initial denial of a waiver violated the Sherman Antitrust Act, which prohibits agreements that unfairly restrain trade – and that Fourqurean would suffer irreparable harm without an junction.
The judge also noted that several factors provided in the case suggested it would have been appropriate for the NCAA to grant Fourqurean a waiver to compete next season.
A decision on UW’s appeal to the NCAA likely won’t be made before fall camp opens July 29 at UW-Platteville.
“He wants and expects to be with us as much as he can,” Fickell said. “What the true details and what he’ll be allowed to do, we don’t quite know just yet.”
With Fourqurean out, UW will turn its attention to getting its top backups ready. Redshirt freshman Omillio Agard is Fourqurean’s backup. The Badgers also have as options senior D’Yoni Hill, a Miami transfer who is the top backup at the other cornerback spot, and junior Geimere Latimer, who has worked at nickel corner with the No. 1 defense.
“We’ve got to prepare like he’s not there and we’ve got to move forward,” Fickell said. “It was one of those things that was always in the back of your mind. (With) the timing of the thing, you would have never thought it would be this late into the situation.
“To be honest with you, that is where you kind of hope the NCAA sits down and just re-evaluates this thing. It’s really put the kid in a tough spot.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Luke Fickell stands up for Nyzier Fourqurean; Wisconsin files appeal with NCAA on DB’s behalf
Reporting by Mark Stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
