NCAA denies Drew Ott’s medical hardship appeal
IOWA CITY, Iowa – After being in limbo for nearly five months, Drew Ott’s future as a football player finally became more clear on Tuesday when the NCAA denied his medical hardship appeal.
The former all-Big Ten defensive end was hoping to get a fifth-season of eligibility with the Iowa Hawkeyes after missing the final six games last season because of a knee injury. Ott also suffered a serious elbow injury in the second game against Iowa State that limited his playing time last season.
But he still appeared in six of Iowa’s 14 games, which barely surpasses the 30 percent threshold for participation. There was hope since Ott actually played in fewer than 30 percent of Iowa’s defensive snaps last season that the NCAA would make an exception with him, but that wasn’t the case.
Ott filed his initial appeal for a fifth season of eligibility in November. The Big Ten Conference handled his appeal in the beginning and granted Iowa’s request to forward the petition to the NCAA in late February.
Ott’s appeal already had been denied once by the NCAA, but he still had one more chance to sway the decision makers.
And with that chance now over, Ott will focus on trying to make an NFL roster.
The Trumball, Neb., native was performing at a star level before he was injured last season. Ott also made second-team all-Big Ten as a junior in 2014.