DAVID HUNTER, Post Contributor
Posted: Friday, August 27, 2010 12:46 pm

MTSU Football Coach Rick Stockstill after Dwight Dasher's ineligiblity was announced. TMP/D. Hunter

Last season’s record-setting MTSU quarterback, senior Dwight Dasher, will start the 2010 season ineligible, according to a statement by Blue Raider Athletic Director Chris Massaro.

In a statement released to the media before Friday’s press conference, Dasher was ruled ineligible for next Thursday’s game against Minnesota.

“While there are a lot of sides to the story involving student-athlete Dwight Dasher, all parties agree that there was a $1,500 loan. Therefore, due to a violation of the NCAA amateurism legislation, we are declaring Dwight Dasher ineligible for competition but will be seeking his reinstatement. While we are seeking reinstatement, Dasher will be allowed to practice. It is anticipated that Dasher will miss some competition.”

The statement added the university has sent a letter to the NCAA Student-Athlete Reinstatement Staff on Friday, but they do not have a time table for the NCAA’s decision. The athlete department added they cannot comment further on the matter until it is resolved.

“The prescribed penalty on this type violation is a 30 percent reduction in the number of games in season, which can be mitigated either higher or lower,” the statement said.

Currently, they are working on a letter of reinstatement to be sent to the NCAA either by early next week.

Massaro was asked during the press conference about how many games Dasher will miss and if he paid the money back, but he said he could not give an answer to either question.

“We wanted to make a fact-based decision,” Massaro said when speaking to the media on Friday.

The university used the services of The Compliance Group in order to gain facts about the situation. Massaro stated the money to pay for the group came from the Blue Raider Athletic Association and no state money was used.

“I hope Dwight has learned from this and become a better man,” MTSU head coach Rick Stockstill said. Stockstill added Dasher had talked to the team.

Dasher, who helped lead the Blue Raiders to a New Orleans Bowl victory last season, was the only quarterback on the MTSU squad with experience in a Division I game. The other two quarterbacks on the team, sophomore Logan Kilgore and junior Jeff Murphy are both junior college transfers.

Stockstill said he has not named a starter for Thursday’s game, which starts at 6:35 p.m. at Floyd Stadium.

MTSU Athletic Director Chris Massaro's statement:

While there are a lot of sides to the story involving student-athlete Dwight Dasher, all parties agree that there was a $1,500 loan. Therefore, due to a violation of the NCAA amateurism legislation, we are declaring Dwight Dasher ineligible for competition but will be seeking his reinstatement. While we are seeking reinstatement, Dasher will be allowed to practice. It is anticipated that Dasher will miss some competition.

The university is sending a letter to the NCAA Student-Athlete Reinstatement Staff today. I do not have or expect to have a time table for the NCAA's decision.

The prescribed penalty on this type violation is a 30 percent reduction in the number of games in a season, which can be mitigated either higher or lower. We are not in position to comment any further on Dwight's eligibility status until the NCAA has resolved this matter.

I would like to recognize the work of Daryl Simpson (Associate AD for Compliance) and Terry Whiteside (Faculty Athletic Representative) in spearheading this inquiry on behalf of the University. They have spent countless hours gathering and processing information on this matter.

Due to the profile and possible ramifications of this issue, the University engaged the services of The Compliance Group and its Director, Chuck Smrt, to provide unbiased guidance and a third party analysis of the assembled information and anticipated processes. It was always our intent to be as thorough as possible and Chuck has helped us attain that goal.

At resolution of this matter, we will make Dwight Dasher, Colin Boss, MTSU Police Chief Buddy Peaster, myself, and Rick Stockstill available for comment to the media.

I am excited about the upcoming season and especially the opener against Minnesota on Thursday. This has the potential to be the greatest opener in school history as we build upon our New Orleans Bowl victory and our 10-win season. We hope to see our first sellout of Floyd Stadium on September 2.