Georgia Tech defensive end Antonneous Clayton released a statement Thursday following the second denial of his request for an immediate-eligibility waiver from the NCAA on Wednesday. He betrayed no frustration or bitterness, but instead an optimistic tone about his circumstances.
Though his appeal had been denied, Clayton wrote in a message posted on Twitter that nothing was “going to stop me from trusting and believing in God getting my degree being a wonderful father cheering my teammates and coaches on tonight and for the rest of the season.”
Clayton will be able to play in 2020, but will only have one season of eligibility. Clayton transferred this summer from Florida after three years there, one of them spent as a redshirt. Coach Geoff Collins, who recruited Clayton to Florida out of Dooly County while he was the Gators’ defensive coordinator, said in a statement Wednesday that “I vehemently disagree” with the NCAA’s decision to deny Clayton’s appeal. He had previously said that he wholeheartedly believed that Clayton had met the NCAA’s requirement to be granted a waiver.
“As an athletics department and a football program, we remain confident that he meets the stated criteria for immediate eligibility and by not granting it, the NCAA does not have the best interests of the student-athlete in mind,” Collins said.
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