It’s not quite a dozen players like it was thought to be earlier today, but Miami has rep0rtedly taken action when it comes to the eligibility of current athletes who have been connected to allegations of impermissible gifts given by former UM booster Nevin Shapiro.
A source with knowledge of the investigation has told The Miami Herald that eight Hurricane players, including quarterback Jacory Harris, have been ruled ineligible by Miami. All eight are believed to be on the football team and allegedly took gifts from Shapiro over $100 in value. A player who receives benefits lower than that amount is usually asked to pay it back in the form of a donation to a charity in exchange for immediate eligibility.
Outside of Harris, it’s not yet known publicly who the other ineligible players are at this point.
But, if those eight players are ineligible like it is reported, the school will ask the NCAA to reinstate them by investigating each on a case-by-case basis. If UM were to play the athletes and the NCAA were to find out later that they were ineligible at the time, the program could face severe penalties.
If everything goes smoothly in those investigations -- and, again, this is just a report that they’re ineligible -- the players could be back by the Sept. 5 season-opening game against Maryland.
How the NCAA would rule in each individual case, though, is separate from their investigation into the UM program as a whole.
UPDATED 10:55 p.m. ET: the Associated Press has added that eight players, including Harris, are currently ineligible for allegedly receiving gifts from Shapiro. .