Former Baylor running back Silas Nacita is will not be able to play NCAA football again.
Nacita, who was ruled ineligible and dismissed from Baylor's football team earlier in the year, has been told he's permanently ineligible for NCAA competition. Per Bleacher Report, he was informed of the decision on March 25, a month after he was told he was no longer a member of the team.
According to the site, Nacita still wants to play football and is looking at his NAIA options after he met with Baylor officials a few weeks ago.
"I didn't shed a tear in the meeting. I wasn't angry. I shook their hands," he said. "It was a pleasant conversation. I didn't go into the meeting expecting good news. I went in expecting confirmation, and that's what I got. I had a little hope in the back of my heart, but when they told me, it was almost a relief. I could start thinking about my future."
Although playing for an NCAA program is no longer an option, the process of continuing his football career has already begun. It began only hours after the word became official, and in reality, the brainstorming began far earlier than that. Nacita has started researching NAIA schools in the area, and he is encouraged that he will be able to continue to play football somewhere.
Nacita was dismissed from the team in February after he had accepted housing against NCAA rules. The formerly homeless running back instantly became a sympathetic figure and a symbol of the NCAA's injustice.
However, after Nacita's plight became widely known, the NCAA said it never ruled Nacita was ineligible. Baylor had ruled him ineligible without taking the case to the governing body, meaning that the school had little doubt about the severity of Nacita's violations. It was also reported that Baylor had provided Nacita a list of options for housing within NCAA guidelines.
A day after he was dismissed, Nacita apologized for blaming the NCAA for his plight and said he disregarded Baylor's advice regarding what he could and couldn't accept.
Is it an unfortunate ending for Nacita? Absolutely. However, this still isn't a good guy/bad guy scenario. Similar to former Georgia running back Todd Gurley, Nacita is paying the price for disregarding the advice of his school's compliance department.
For more Baylor news, visit SicEmSports.com.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Baylor RB Silas Nacita ruled permanently ineligible
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