Not this year or any other year.
Brian Bowen, the five-star McDonald’s All-American at the heart of the most recent scandal involving Louisville basketball, will officially never suit up for the Cardinals.
"Brian has been a responsible young man for the institution since he enrolled," interim Louisville athletics director Vince Tyra said in a statement. "He has endeared himself to his teammates and the men's basketball staff with a positive attitude during a very difficult period."
Bowen will remain on scholarship at U of L, but he will not be permitted to play or practice with the team. Louisville’s press release states that the school will give Bowen written permission if he wishes to transfer.
Last month, the FBI stated that it was through investigating Bowen’s situation and that U of L and the NCAA could begin looking into the matter on their own in order to determine the status of his eligibility.
Louisville’s situation with regards to the FBI investigation may be different than other schools mentioned in the complaint because of U of L’s still very recent and high-profile other basketball scandal. Still, it’s worth mentioning that Bowen is the only player caught up this who isn’t being permitted to be a part of his respective team in any form. Perhaps information was discovered that made it 100 percent certain that he couldn’t be a part of this team or any future Cardinal team. Or perhaps Louisville just wants to disassociate itself from any figure associated with any nefarious behavior. It wouldn’t be the first time in the last few years that the Cards have gone against the crowd when dealing with an NCAA issue. Here’s hoping this one works out a little better.
Either way, I still feel bad for the kid and I hope things eventually work out for him.
