The NCAA announced last week that Memphis star James Wiseman has been suspended for 12 games and must make a sizable donation to the charity of his choice, and that decision is not going to be overturned.
On Wednesday, the NCAA issued a statement saying the disciplinary action against Wiseman has been upheld after Memphis appealed.
Wiseman decision upheld by membership committee: pic.twitter.com/p1foALnB4w
— Inside the NCAA (@InsidetheNCAA) November 27, 2019
Wiseman has been ordered by the NCAA to donate $11,500 — the amount of money his family received from Tigers coach Penny Hardaway to move to Memphis — to the charity of his choice. He will be eligible to return on Jan. 12 when Memphis takes on South Florida.
Wiseman was a top recruit for Memphis and is considered a strong candidate to be selected first overall in the NBA Draft. He was initially cleared by the NCAA regarding his eligibility, but officials later ruled that Hardaway was a “booster” for Memphis because he had previously donated to the program, even though he gave the money to Wiseman’s family prior to being named the head coach of the Tigers.
Memphis initially received a temporary restraining order against the NCAA’s ruling and defiantly played Wiseman the first three games of the season before the big man decided to drop his lawsuit against the NCAA and sit out.
The NCAA may still be planning to drop the hammer on Memphis for playing Wiseman after he was ruled ineligible. As far as Wiseman’s eligibility is concerned, the suspension will be until Jan. 12. However, the school could face other fines or other sanctions for the way the situation was handled.
