As Kentucky looks for answers following its 45-17 home loss to No. 12 Alabama at Kroger Field in Lexington, many fans are also wondering why Kentucky linebacker Alex Afari did not play Saturday against the Crimson Tide.
What made this an eye-opening decision was that head coach Will Stein had just talked about giving Afari a heavier workload against the Crimson Tide.
“Yeah, Alex Afari, planning on ramping up his workload this week,” Stein said last week. “And playing him as much as we can (against
Alabama).”
Afari has been fighting throughout the offseason to gain a fifth year of eligibility and return to Kentucky for a final season. He played seven total snaps against Youngstown State to begin the season, including three snaps on defense and four on special teams against the Penguins in Week 1.
However, the NCAA and SEC have opposed allowing players who have already played four seasons to receive another year of eligibility.
The Texas Law Group, which is representing Afari and other players in their eligibility cases, posted on social media last Thursday that the NCAA presented oral arguments in Kentucky. During those arguments, the NCAA reportedly said that if a player participated in an NFL rookie minicamp, they were no longer considered amateurs and could not return to college.
The Texas Law Group said this was the first time the NCAA had made that argument.
That could be significant for Kentucky and Afari because he participated in the Green Bay Packers’ rookie minicamp after going undrafted. However, Afari never signed a contract to participate in the Packers’ regular training camp.
Afari’s lawyers are arguing that he only signed a medical waiver to participate in the minicamp and that it was essentially a tryout to determine whether he would advance to training camp.
Still, after not seeing Afari suit up against Alabama, even when the game got out of hand, you have to wonder if Kentucky is going with the cautious route and holding him out until this gets cleared up.
For now, Kentucky fans will have to wait and see whether Afari takes the field against Texas A&M or can return at any point this season, following the NCAA’s latest arguments in Kentucky.
