HOOVER, Ala. — Missouri’s contingent was the first to face the media on the opening day of SEC Media Days, and the topic of the day was the school’s appeal of a postseason ban and other sanctions handed down by the NCAA Committee on Infractions in January. Head coach Barry Odom and players Kelly Bryant, Cale Garrett and DeMarkus Acy didn’t offer an update on the team’s appeal, but a newsworthy development emerged nonetheless. PowerMizzou confirmed a report from CBS Sports that the Tigers will appear before the NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee this week.
The in-person hearing is perhaps the most significant milestone in the appeals process, in which representatives from Missouri make their case before the appellate committee. Afterward, there is no more opportunity for back and forth between the school and the committee, according to the NCAA website. Following the hearing, the committee will finalize its decision and notify Missouri.
CBS Sports reported that decisions usually come about four to eight weeks after an in-person hearing, which means the Tigers may not know the fate of their postseason eligibility until after they begin the season at Wyoming on Aug. 31. Missouri immediately appealed the sanctions, which include a scholarship reduction and recruiting restrictions in addition to a one-year postseason ban, claiming the Committee on Infractions abused its discretion.
Each time he was asked about the appeal Monday, Odom stressed that the result is out of his control. He praised the Missouri administration for an approach that he called “very aggressive but also respectful,” but he said he has encouraged his team not to dwell on the appeal.
“If you sit around and think about that, it’s not anything that we’re about,” Odom said. “That does not put us in position to play really good on August 31. We control what we have the opportunity to control, and right now that’s not one of them. So is it on their minds? Probably. Is it on mine? Absolutely. But that is wasted thought at this point. It does nothing for the 2019 team.”
The fact that only one player, cornerback Terry Petry, entered the transfer portal this offseason suggests Odom’s message has been well received. Indeed, Bryant, Garrett and Acy all said the fact that no players left as a result of the sanctions speaks to the culture that the coaching staff and the senior class have built, and each said the result of the appeal will not impact the team’s performance on the field.
“I think it says a lot about our entire program as a whole,” Garrett said. “... A lot of us understand that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, it is greener where you water it. We all want to grow together and go out the right way.”
Asked about Missouri’s appeal, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey declined to delve into the details, but he did say “the infractions appeals committee certainly has an opportunity, it appears.”
Not surprisingly, Odom declined to speculate on the program’s chances of winning its appeal, but he said one way or the other, he’s eager to get the situation resolved.
“If we get the opportunity to play more than 12 games, we’ll take it. You bet. But that’s kind of where we’re at with it. I’m excited to get closure on it, but also it’s something that we can’t control.”
Bryant takes center stage
While the postseason ban may have been the most hotly discussed topic during Missouri’s time behind the microphones, there’s no doubt that the Tigers’ new quarterback was the star of the morning. With his parents, Deborah and Russ Bryant, watching, Bryant attracted a mob of reporters when he took the podium.
Bryant’s decision to transfer to Missouri instead of the likes of Auburn and Arkansas and stick with his decision after the sanctions were announced has been heavily documented, but he did provide one interesting anecdote Monday. During the meeting in which Odom initially informed the team of its sanctions, Bryant, who had been enrolled in classes for less than a month at that point, stood and addressed his teammates.
“I pretty much just wanted to say, okay, we got 12 games,” Bryant said. “Whether it gets appealed or not, we still got 12, so if you want to be here, be here. If not, nobody in the locker room is going to look at you any differently. But if you’re going to be here, just make sure you’re putting your putting your best foot forward and just committed to the team and what we’re trying to achieve within those 12 games, and we’ll see how we turn out after those 12.”
The next day, Bryant announced publicly that he would not leave Missouri’s roster, despite being able to do so without having to sit out this season. Garrett said Bryant’s words earned him a lot of respect within the locker room.
“It was definitely a respect moment,” Garrett said. “Like, ‘alright, yeah, you’re cool.’ That’s when he truly won me over.”
Status of Williams, Robinson still unclear
Missouri released an updated depth chart Monday morning, but there were a couple lingering roster questions that Odom could not answer. Odom said defensive end Tre Williams, who was scheduled to appear in court last week after being arrested on suspicion of domestic assault, remains indefinitely suspended. Williams has been suspended from team activities since being arrested in December. If found guilty of the felony charge, he would be immediately removed from the team in accordance with athletic department policy. Odom did say that he’s optimistic a resolution to Williams’ situation could come soon.
Odom also said the team has not received an answer from the NCAA about whether quarterback Shawn Robinson will be eligible to play this season. Robinson, who transferred to Missouri from TCU in December, filed a waiver seeking immediate eligibility in May. Odom said the NCAA has acknowledged that it received Robinson’s waiver, but due to the volume of waiver requests, the process has been delayed. If he is cleared to play, Robinson could appear in up to four games while preserving his two remaining seasons of eligibility.
Finally, Odom did not clarify any scholarship changes within the roster, though he did say that the team will have 85 scholarship players on when it begins fall camp Aug. 2, in accordance with NCAA rules. Our most recent count found 87 scholarship players still on the roster. That means two players will either have to leave the program or will lose their scholarships in the next two weeks.
South end zone 'really close'
Odom said that the much-anticipated new hub of the football program, the South end zone complex, is expected to be ready for the start of fall camp. The complex will include the team’s locker room, weight room, meeting rooms, treatment facility and more.
“We’re really close, and I think in the next week we’ll be moving some things over,” Odom said. “I know our first team meeting on August 1 we’ll be in that building. I know just for our players, the student athletes, you look at the weight room, the locker room, the meeting space, sports medicine — the flow for them, the experience that they’re going to have in that building is going to be very very unique and one of the best experiences in the country.”
