Last month it was a Duke lacrosse player looking to extend his collegiate sports career by moving on to a football team, albeit at a different university. This month, it’s a basketball player doing the same thing, although this one won’t have to leave a campus with which he’s very familiar.
In an interview with Tulsa World Wednesday, Pat Swilling Jr. confirmed that he will become a walk-on for the Tulsa football team. The son of former Georgia Tech and NFL standout Pat Swilling is expected to end up in the Golden Hurricane’s backfield as a running back.
Swilling Jr., who acknowledged he had spoken to UCF and Oklahoma State, among others, about playing football this season, has not played the sport since high school in 2009. He has, though, been shaking the rust off at a facility in Florida.
“I’m acclimated to wearing a helmet and pads again,” he told the paper. “I’ve done some football training during the last few summers. I haven’t been playing football games, but I’ve stayed connected with football.”
While head coach Bill Blankenship signed off on the addition, Swilling’s presence on the roster will likely come with at least a hint of controversy.
Swilling missed the last 11 games of his senior basketball season this year due to a suspension after he was accused of sexual assaulting a woman. No charges were ever filed against Swilling, and a protective order that had been issued against him was dropped in April.
Because Swilling played just four years of college basketball and didn’t use a redshirt, he maintains one year of athletic eligibility according to NCAA accounting standards.