Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis threatens 'legal action' in case of FSU's Darrell Jackson
Shortly after officials from the state of North Carolina threatened legal action in the case of UNC wide receiver Tez Walker, the NCAA announced Thursday that Walker has been cleared to play immediately for the Tar Heels.
The state of Florida appears to be considering a similar approach on behalf of Florida State defensive tackle Darrell Jackson.
On Friday morning, less than 24 hours after the Walker news broke, Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis suggested on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) that “legal action” will be coming if the NCAA doesn’t declare Jackson eligible for the remainder of the 2023 season.
Like Walker, Jackson was ruled ineligible this summer because he had transferred twice as an undergraduate student. Appeals requests were denied for both players and others, causing widespread public outcry.
The NCAA had been extremely liberal with granting waivers for players in those situations in recent years, but college sports’ governing body decided in January they would only be allowed under certain circumstances moving forward.
A key argument from Walker, Jackson and others is that they had already transferred and enrolled at new schools before that NCAA guidance was announced.
This isn’t the first time state of Florida officials have gotten involved in the Jackson case. Patronis, Sen. Marco Rubio and others pleaded with the NCAA to grant his waiver during the summer.
Just last week, Florida State head coach Mike Norvell confirmed that Jackson will be eligible in the postseason, even if he misses the final eight games of the 2023 campaign.
Jackson, who is listed at 6-foot-5 and 326 pounds, recorded 27 tackles, three sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss last season for the Miami Hurricanes. He originally started his college career at Maryland.
The defensive lineman has said he transferred to Florida State to be close to his mother, who is battling an illness. He played high school football in Quincy, Fla., which sits just west of Tallahassee.
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