Ducks Prospect Nic Kerdiles Suspended for One Year by NCAA
By jer
Photo Credit: Ken McKenna/HF
SB Nation’s Western College Hockey Blog is repoting that Ducks prospect Nic Kerdiles has been ruled ineligible to play for one season by the NCAA. Although the Wisconsin Badgers will appeal the suspension in hopes of getting Kerdiles on their team this year, many are speculating that it is unlikely such an appeal will be successful.
Kerdiles’s NCAA eligibility has been an on-going issue as of late, however it is unclear exactly what the violation that the Ducks’ 2012 second round pick is guilty of. Neither side is being very public with the issue, however it is believed to be related to his relationship with Pulver Sports, a sports agency representing players.
The United States of Hockey’s Chris Peters had this to say:
"There has been real concern from the NCAA regarding potential recruiting violations committed over social media. I was unable to find any instances of student-athletes being sanctioned for anything more than tweeting at potential recruits, for which their institutions got in more trouble than the actual players. Kerdiles’s situation may be unprecedented."
It is unlikely that the Ducks would want their second round pick sitting out for an entire season, so if Wisconsin’s appeal is not succesful, we’d expect to see Kerdiles playing in an alternate league.
We’ll keep an eye on this story as more develops.
Follow Jer on Twitter @JerMeansWell.