Report: Ohio Attorney General Writes Letter to NCAA Challenging Aziz Bandaogo's Eligibility Denial

Cincinnati's frontcourt is in limbo ahead of the 2023-24 season.

Author:
Russ Heltman
Updated:
Oct 26, 2023 6:41 AM EDT

In this story:

CINCINNATI — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is challenging the NCAA's denial of eligibility for Cincinnati basketball forward Aziz Bandaogo.

Bandaogo and Jamille Reynolds were denied second-time transfer waivers in recent weeks after head coach Wes Miller, the players, and the program believed they did everything they had to do under the guidelines.

Now, Yost is challenging the legality of the Bandaogo decision in a letter to the NCAA's president. The news was first reported by WCPO.

"Mr. Bandaogo has no family of his own in the United States, his girlfriend’s family has functionally become his greatest support network and functions as a surrogate for his own," Yost wrote in the letter.

He also dove into the circumstances Bandaogo was leaving at Utah Valley after he "submitted compelling evidence of adverse mental health impacts following seismic changes in his support network, social network, and educational environment following the departure of his coach and mentor"

Yost declared the decision not only "wrong as a matter of common sense and decency, it is also likely unlawful." He also claimed it breaks antitrust laws and serves as a "one-year non-compete restriction in violation of both state and federal law."

The letter does not mention Reynolds and one on his behalf has not surfaced as of this writing. Cincinnati starts its 2023-24 season in less than two weeks.

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