Dontaie Allen, right, has to sit out three more games at Western Kentucky because UK played him in seven games when he was academically ineligible. (Western Kentucky Athletics Photo)
Dontaie Allen’s playing career at Kentucky never worked out like he hoped and that led him to transfer to Western Kentucky. In his first three games, the former Kentucky Mr. Basketball from Pendleton County averaged 8.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game while shooting 47 percent overall from the field and 44.4 percent from 3-point range.
However, an eligibility issue has put him on the bench for the last four games. The team Twitter account had released a statement from coach Rick Stansbury before Western played Akron Nov. 21 in the Cayman Islands Classic:
“Dontaie Allen will not be available today while an eligibility matter related to his previous school and conference is clarified. We hope to have the situation resolved soon.”
It apparently has been resolved and Stansbury explained exactly what has happened after the Hilltoppers beat South Carolina State 90-64 and Allen missed his fourth straight game.
“Nothing he has done. Nothing we have done. Kentucky played him seven games when he was ineligible,” Stansbury said. “Their coaches didn’t know it. (UK) compliance didn’t know. So how does the kid know it?
“Nobody can say the kid is at fault for not getting his grades. He didn’t know. If the adults in the room didn’t know, he didn’t know.”
Apparently, when Allen decided to enter the transfer portal, Kentucky found out he was ineligible for early season games during the 2021-22 season.
“Not the spring semester, the fall semester,” Stansbury said. “So they turned the waiver in and don’t get it back until last week before we are getting ready to leave (for the Cayman Islands).”
Now here is the part that makes it seem even more unfair that Allen is being forced to sit out seven games at Western Kentucky.
“He played seven games, a total of 25 minutes in those seven games,” Stansbury said.
Twenty-five minutes in seven games and now he has to sit out seven games at Western.
Does Kentucky have to forfeit games it won using an ineligible player? Normally that’s what happens at the high school level but apparently not in college.
“Kentucky got their punishment. They got fined $500 per game for seven games ($3,500 total) but we are the ones getting punished now. The kid is the one getting punished. Nothing about that is right, that he is having to pay for mistakes that other people didn’t know, that’s responsible (for that), and punishing us, making him sit games.”
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Kentucky athletics issued this statement when asked about Allen’s situaition:
“We cannot comment on student eligibility issues due to student privacy laws, but can confirm the matter is closed at UK and no games were forfeited.”
9 Responses
I would think the violation belongs to the coach who plays an ineligble player, not the player and that the violation follows the player.
The NCAA is so full of it.
Abolish the NCAA immediately.
Your right Professor. The NCAA is a joke. It’s time for it to be replaced with a governing body of college presidents who will bring more balance back to the term student athlete. OAD and NIL are ruining college sports all in the name of money.
I hope Dontaie gets to play soon. He has paid his dues.
He sure has Barry
The more I think about this situation, the more I question UK. A meaningless fine, no forfeiture of games, and Allen is penalized as he has been.
Someone should ask Allen to waive any privacy issues on this matter and demand UK speak publically and fully about what happened, why it happened, who is responsible for what happened, and whether heads will roll within this fraudulent basketball program.
If he had stayed he still would’ve had to sit… he doesn’t get to get off bc he didn’t know his grades were bad… he absolutely knew his grades were bad. No surprise at all smh… OAD and NIL are far less important than holding kids accountable. Dude either skipped class or had less than a 2.0??? Cmon man lol
So no accountability for UK officials/coaches for playing him and not knowing he was not eligible. And if he had stayed, doubt anyone would have ever known since whatever happened was only discovered when he put in for transfer
The reason athletic programs have compliance officers is to keep track of players’ grades. The ball was clearly dropped, but if his grades were bad, it was the basketball office that has a duty to know it and sit him until it is fixed.
Here, the basketball program skates.
Who is to say this coach is telling the truth he likes to get kids to his school and neglect to play them like Jaylen Butz