HOOVER | University of Alabama defensive end Marcell Dareus has been declared ineligible and is believed to be the only UA player who attended a party in Miami hosted by a sports agent, a source close to the situation told The Tuscaloosa News.
UA will petition immediately for the reinstatement of Dareus’ eligibility. The NCAA will make the ultimate ruling on when, or if, Dareus will be reinstated. It is standard procedure for a player to be declared ineligible immediately whenever a question of whether the player violated NCAA rules arises..
UA is conducting an investigation into whether Dareus paid his own expenses for the
trip, and whether the circumstances of the trip constitute an NCAA violation. Under NCAA rules, student-athletes are not permitted to accept cash or anything of value from sports agents or their representatives.
Dareus may be part of a larger NCAA probe into agent activity, as the NCAA has spoken with North Carolina defensive lineman Marvin Austin and South Carolina tight end Weslye Saunders about their knowledge of the same party. Austin’s alleged agent involvement, according to the source, is of a more serious nature than that of Dareus.
