UPDATE, 6:27 p.m. ET: MSU athletic director Mark Hollis announced Thursday afternoon via Twitter that he won’t request a waiver to allow Delvon Roe to play. He’ll instead sit with the team on the bench and be involved in Senior Day festivities.
“The NCAA staff provided great compassion in allowing Delvon to participate in a way that Coach Izzo, Delvon and I desired,” Hollis tweeted. “The focus of Delvon and the entire MSU community is on a (Big Ten) title. We love the support. Distractions must be placed on the shelf.”
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Even if you’re not a Michigan State fan, it’s hard not to embrace the idea behind #LetDelvonPlay. Maybe the NCAA will too.
Roe is a senior who ended his basketball career in September due to chronic knee pain. But Spartans coach Tom Izzo has been trying to figure out a way to get him back in uniform for the team’s finale this Sunday against Ohio State. Roe was a steadfast Spartan the last three years, playing through numerous injuries and wrecked knee to start 83 of 109 games before deciding he’d had enough.
Except for one thing. Roe started his acting career, which means his amateur status is over. That’s against NCAA rules and prevents him from dressing for the game. (Michigan State is still likely to honor along in some fashion, along with other seniors such as Draymond Green, Austin Thornton and Brandon Wood.)
Does it make sense to bend the rules this one time? Common sense says yes. The NCAA doesn’t always abide by that, but it has been known to make the occasional exception.
“It’s not about me lets worry about wrappin up this big10 title OUTRIGHT!!” Roe tweeted.
And that’s what #LetDelvonPlay is. It’s something that allows a kid whose body failed him one last chance to have a moment of glory and closure.
That’s not wrong. That’s called a Hollywood ending. Roe’s headed that way anyway. Why not embrace it?
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