At NCAA headquarters
UPDATE: All clear. Great blogger reverse jinx success! Question stands.
DeAnthony Arnett announced he was transferring to Michigan State to be closer to his ill father four months ago, indicating intent to seek a waiver to play for MSU immediately at that time.
The formal application for that wavier was submitted a full two months ago, with the expectation that an NCAA ruling would take about three weeks.
Intelligent (and unbiased) observers noted the ludicrousness of how long it was taking the NCAA rule to on the request over a month ago.
Two weeks ago, we heard this:
"I have to send more transcripts from my dialysis doctor to the NCAA," William Arnett said. "I had sent all my transcripts to Tennessee, but the NCAA wants more from me. We'll do that this week.
"Right now, this isn't about DeAnthony. It's all about me."
According to William Arnett, he will be put on a kidney transplant waiting list after he has his blood tested this week.
"They need to get my blood and DNA so they can get a match," William Arnett said. "I had surgery for a catheter in my shoulder, so I go to dialysis Monday, Wednesday and Friday. If it weren't for dialysis, I wouldn't be alive today."
Arnett has also had heart surgery and remains on medication.
"It was hard last year, being sick and in the hospital," William Arnett said. "I planned on seeing my son play. I wanted to see my son play. But I was in the hospital and sick, and I couldn't be in a car eight hours to see him play at Tennessee.
"I had to do what my doctor told me to do."
Now this:
Nope. NCAA has asked for more medical info twice in past three weeks. RT @Shawn__Edward @joerexrode any update on deanthony arnett?
— Joe Rexrode (@joerexrode) May 10, 2012
Set aside the broader debate about the restrictions the NCAA puts on "student-athletes" while coaches and administrators are free to pursue their own personal self interest: What exactly is the delay here in interpreting a simple rule already on the NCAA books? Is the NCAA afraid the elder Arnett's doctors are lying about the nature of his medical condition? Do they have their own team of medical experts poring over the data to look for discrepancies and perhaps find that Mr. Arnett is, in fact, perfectly healthy and could easily have traveled to Knoxville eight times this fall?
If the NCAA really possesses this level of medical expertise, I can only hope they will be providing recommendations to Mr. Arnett for improved treatment options.