Lightfoot Secures Reversal on University of Mississippi Football Recruiting Restriction

November 1, 2018

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (November 2, 2018) — The NCAA Division I Infractions Appeals Committee (IAC) has overturned a recent restriction on football recruiting at the University of Mississippi. Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC attorneys William Brooks, Henry Gimenez and Brian Kappel represented the institution on appeal.

The Committee’s report, in part, overturned the Committee on Infractions’ penalty that required the university to limit recruits in football to one unofficial visit per year during its three-year probation period.

“We were pleased to see the appeals committee recognize the abuse of discretion associated with the recruiting restriction,” said Gimenez. “It was a crippling penalty that, now vacated, should allow the university to move forward in recruiting.”

The IAC upheld the remaining penalty and findings appealed. The result continues Lightfoot’s success before the IAC, having previously secured the vacation of a postseason ban for the University of Hawaii.

Brooks, Gimenez and Kappel are members of the firm’s NCAA Compliance & Investigations practice group, which regularly represents institutions, athletic administrators and prominent coaches in NCAA compliance interviews and investigations, as well as hearings before the Committee on Infractions and IAC. The firm has successfully represented institutions from all corners of the NCAA, including members of the American Athletic, Atlantic Coast, C-USA, Big Ten, Big 12, Mountain West, Pac-12 and Southeastern conferences.