The eligibility issues involving Shabazz Muhammad took another strange turn on Wednesday as UCLA filed an appeal on behalf of the freshman to the NCAA.
Head coach Ben Howland said the appeal will be heard on Friday and that he expects to hear a decision on the matter "shortly thereafter", according to ESPN.com.
"At this time, I'm optimistic and hopeful that everything is going to work out," Howland said to ESPN. "That's about all I can say. Hopeful is a big part of that."
The appeal stems from a decision by the NCAA to rule the freshman ineligible for competition before UCLA's first game against Indiana State. The organization conducted an investigation and ruled that Muhammad committed a violation of the NCAA's amateurism rules by taking visits to Duke and North Carolina that were paid for by a family friend.
The family of Muhammad released a statement to the Los Angeles Times responding to the judgment on Tuesday:
"Last Friday, the NCAA released a Press Release which not only was wrong in its conclusions but which also inaccurately portrayed the investigation process in this case," the statement read in part. "For over a year, the NCAA has known all of the relevant facts related to its ruling last Friday. Prior to the unofficial visits in question, Ron Holmes and Benjamin Lincoln received approval from NCAA (through its member universities) for Mr. Lincoln (who has had a continuous close friendship with Shabazz's family since 2007) to pay for airline tickets and hotel rooms. In 2010, Mr. Holmes openly and honestly revealed to the NCAA the source of the payments on the NCAA's compliance form."
The school also released a statement, saying they would appeal the decision.
"The University and our compliance staff have fully cooperated with the NCAA throughout this entire period, and we believe the decision is incorrect and unjust to Shabazz. UCLA will expeditiously pursue its options to challenge this determination. When a final resolution has been reached by the NCAA, we will swiftly communicate the news to the entire Bruin family."
Muhammad has missed the first two games with the Bruins, including the opening 86-59 win against Indiana State.
"I feel terrible for Shabazz because he is a great kid and has had a phenomenal attitude in dealing with this review by the NCAA," Howland said to ESPN.com. "We were very optimistic that he was going to be cleared today, so we are very disappointed for him. We're hopeful that it's something that is going to be worked out in the near future.
According to ESPN.com, if the appeal is successful, Muhammad will be immediately reinstated. "If the appeal is rejected, UCLA would then have to request reinstatement. If the NCAA then reinstates Muhammad, it would almost certainly require a punishment in the form of a suspension and ask Muhammad and his family to repay the benefits he received."
More news emerged on Wednesday after the Los Angeles Times reported that a conversation overhead on an airplane in August could affect the case.
According to the report, the NCAA had already started to make conclusions on Muhammad's case before all the facts and information had been collected.
Here's the report:
"A conversation overheard on an Aug. 7 commuter flight from Chicago to Memphis, Tenn., has prompted attorneys representing UCLA basketball player Shabazz Muhammad to call for the NCAA to drop its investigation and declare him eligible.
"The conversation came to light in an email from an attorney who said she was seated behind a man who was speaking loudly about the work of his girlfriend, an "attorney with the NCAA."
"The girlfriend, whom he identified as "Abigail," was investigating Muhammad. The man made it clear that the NCAA would find Muhammad ineligible and not allow him to play this season, the email said. Abigail Grantstein, an assistant director of enforcement, is the NCAA's lead investigator on the Muhammad case."
Adding to the incidnet is a report by Times writer Baxter Holmes that confirms the story and also brings up that it occurred "just eight days after NCAA investigators say they first requested documents from Muhammad's family."
The report basically says that the NCAA started making decisions on the case before all the facts had been looked over and even received. According to the NCAA themselves, they didn't rule Muhammad ineligible until just before the first game because "it didn't receive documents it needed from the family until October and November," according to Yahoo Sports.
This is just another example of hypocrisy in the NCAA and the organization acting improperly when it comes to eligibility issues and the handling of enforcement. In recent years the NCAA has come under fire for unfair punishments, mishandling of student-athletes and enforcement of amateur issues.
The NCAA may be forced to clear Muhammad due to the conversation. If the timeline is truthful, it is unfair that Muhammad and UCLA were never able to make a fair case.
It's another bad mark for the NCAA, but probably one that will not change anything.
