Scott Van Pelt rips NCAA for denying player’s transfer to be near ailing mother

ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt used his “SportsCenter” platform on Wednesday night to criticize a recent NCAA decision.

The ruling body denied offensive lineman Brock Holt’s request for immediate eligibility after transferring from Coastal Carolina to Virginia Tech. He transferred for family reasons.

According to the Roanoke Times, “Hoffman decided to transfer to Virginia Tech after his sophomore year to help care for his mother in Statesville, North Carolina. She had surgery to remove an acoustic neuroma (a non-cancerous brain tumor) in early 2017 and going to school in Blacksburg cut his commute home in half.”

The NCAA’s decision and the questions it asked of Holt and his family irked Van Pelt.

The Times story noted the NCAA denied the claim in part because Holt’s mother was improving.

“The nerve of that woman, right?” Van Pelt said. “Sorry, Brock, as your mom continues to deal with hearing loss, facial paralysis and impaired eyesight, she’s just not sick enough for us to grant you that waiver.”

Van Pelt took issue with other parts of the NCAA’s reasoning and the lack of communication from the NCAA.

“Look, I understand, every case is unique,” Van Pelt said. “I don’t know why some transfers get approved and this one didn’t. Maybe the NCAA can explain it in a way that makes some sense to me.

“Nope. Sorry.”

Here’s the spot:

You can read more of the Roanoke Times story here.

This story was originally published August 29, 2019 at 12:44 PM.