Luke Fickell on Nyzier Fourqurean eligibility: 'I can't handle it, emotionally'

Wisconsin defensive back Nyzier Fourqurean is one of a handful of players currently fighting the NCAA over his eligibility. His case is tied up in court, where he is seeking an injunction to be able to play this fall.

A district court judge has not yet ruled, though he is expected to soon. In the meantime, that has left Fourqurean in limbo, unable to play with the team.

Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell was asked how he handles things with Nyzier Fourqurean, given the uncertainty of the situation. He got emotional in responding.

“I’m probably going to steer clear of commenting or saying a whole lot on that,” Fickell said, carefully picking his words. “Just to keep my opinions and some of the things to myself. I’ll just tell you this: I feel really bad for the kid. I can’t handle it emotionally to talk about it. I don’t know how he is handling it. And we’ll just leave it at that.”

Nyzier Fourqurean is arguing that he should have an additional year of eligibility based on his time spent in DII. He pinned that argument onto the back of the Diego Pavia lawsuit that allowed the Vanderbilt quarterback to get an additional year.

The NCAA, though, appealed Fourqurean’s eligibility, putting him into a weird no man’s land. He missed the chance to go to the NFL Draft, but now he’s in college and he can’t yet suit up — needing the injunction to make that happen.

The two parties have engaged in some back-and-forth in court, as summed up by Colten Bartholomew of the Wall Street Journal. The uncertainty has made life difficult on Nyzier Fourqurean.

He is hoping that the courts will render a decision prior to the Alabama game, noting in his case that there’s a significant chance for damage if he can’t play. He noted the exposure he’d get from playing in that game is material to his potential current and future earnings.

But for now, things remain in a state of limbo for Nyzier Fourqurean. That has both him and his coach, Fickell, emotional about the case.