Mark Mitchell and Kentucky Basketball aren’t quite in the clear just yet.
Earlier Wednesday, a report surfaced that suggested Mitchell was in the clear when it came to the SEC’s new rules on former pros returning to college.
However, Matt Norlander is now reporting that the SEC is preparing to challenge Mitchell’s ability to play for Kentucky next season, since he did not enter the transfer portal in the spring window.
By SEC rules, intraconference transfers cannot happen with players who did not enter
the portal in the spring.
“From the sounds of it, the SEC is readying to treat Mitchell’s transfer in a secondary/delayed window as falling under the terms of its previously agreed-upon bylaw,” Norlander wrote on Twitter. “Violating that rule would result in a half-season suspension for Mark Pope, among other significant financial penalties.
However, Mitchell and his attorneys will contend that he had no reason to enter the portal due to his eligibility being exhausted at the time.
“UK will obviously fight for Mitchell to be on the roster and argue the option for him to enter the portal in the spring didn’t exist,” Norlander said.
The fight continues, and unless Mitchell backs out of his commitment, it will likely go on for several more months at the least.
