By John Nadel
The Associated Press
The NCAA ruled Friday that DeShaun Foster won’t have his
eligibility restored, meaning the star running back will miss
UCLA’s final two regular-season games as well as a bowl game
if the Bruins get an invitation.
Foster, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound senior who leads the Pac-10 in
rushing and touchdowns, was declared ineligible Nov. 7 after it was
determined he received an extra benefit, a violation of NCAA rules,
and he sat out UCLA’s 21-20 loss to No. 7 Oregon three days
later.
The university took the action a day after being told by the
NCAA of a possible violation.
UCLA and the NCAA jointly investigated the matter, and the
school submitted its report requesting reinstatement of
Foster’s eligibility on Wednesday. The bad news came Friday
afternoon.
Neither coach Bob Toledo nor athletic director Peter Dalis was
available for comment.
The 20th-ranked Bruins (6-3, 3-3 Pac-10) face crosstown rival
Southern California (5-5, 4-3) on Saturday at the Los Angeles
Coliseum, and finish the regular season Dec. 1 against Arizona
State at the Rose Bowl.
It’s been reported that Foster, who gained 1,109 yards on
216 carries in eight games to rank fifth nationally with a
138.6-yard average, drove a new sport-utility vehicle being leased
by actor-director Eric Laneuville for several weeks.
Toledo didn’t allow Foster to practice or attend team
meetings after he was declared ineligible “”mdash; and made it clear
that decision was punitive.
“˜”˜I’m very disappointed considering all the
things we’ve gone through,” Toledo said earlier
in the week. “˜”˜I can’t tell you how much we
educate these guys, we talk until we’re blue in the face.
I’m going to continue to talk about it.
“˜”˜I’ll forgive him, he’s part of our
family. You know what? He’s not a bad kid, he made a mistake.
People make mistakes in their lives.”
Foster, from Tustin, finishes his career ranked first in school
history with 722 carries and third with 3,194 yards rushing. He
also ranks second with 44 touchdowns, behind Skip Hicks’ 55,
and fifth with 266 total points of his touchdowns and one 2-point
conversion.
Foster gained a school-record 301 yards on 31 carries and tied a
school-record with four touchdowns in UCLA’s 35-13 victory
over Washington on Oct. 13.
Foster’s total was the third-highest in Pac-10 history,
behind Rueben Mayes of Washington State, who gained 357 yards
against Oregon in 1984, and Ricky Bell of USC, who gained 347
against Washington State in 1976.
Foster was considered the leading contender for the Heisman
Trophy after that game, but will no doubt finish well down the list
considering what’s happened since.
Nevertheless, it’s expected he’ll be a first-round
pick in the NFL draft next spring.