Ole Miss won’t be sanctioned for using ineligible player

Don’t worry, Ole Miss fans. Your team’s huge Egg Bowl win is safely sitting in the history books.

A couple of months ago, Ole Miss self-reported the use of an academically ineligible player for six games during the 2012 season. The player was notified in late August by individuals overseeing the ACT that there were some questions regarding two of his scores; the player, however, failed to notify the school of the potential issue.

Midway through the 2012 season, the ACT cancelled the player’s scores, with the Jackson Clarion-Ledger writing that the player thus became “a nonqualifier and ineligible for competition while potentially exposing Ole Miss to penalties.”

Ole Miss did not become aware of the issue until April of this year and immediately reported it to the SEC.

“The University respectfully submits that this occurrence was isolated and inadvertent, did not result in any recruiting or competitive advantage and is not indicative of any pattern of conduct with any of the University sport programs or the Athletics Department overall,” wrote Matt Ball, senior associate athletics director for compliance, last month in a letter to the SEC detailing the violation.

While the school’s report did not specifically name the player in question, the Clarion-Ledger reported that it was walk-on cornerback Carlos Davis. While the school avoided punishment -- they could’ve been forced to vacate any wins during the six games in which Davis played, including the Mississippi State victory -- the player won’t; because of the voided ACT scores, Davis will be forced to sit out six games in 2013 and will be subject to restrictions being placed on practice time.