Derrick Roland's appeal denied

The NCAA had a chance to turn Derrick Roland's bad break into a great story. If you remember, Roland was a guard on Texas A&M that suffered a gruesome leg injury in a game at Washington just three days before Christmas. (Warning: Do not click that link if you are at all squeamish.)

Roland, who was a part of the best recruiting class in Aggie history, joining with fellow seniors Bryan Davis and Donald Sloan to lead A&M to 100 wins in their four years, obviously missed the rest of his senior season.

This was Roland, just seven months ago.
(photo credit: Seattle Times)

To throw salt in the wound, the Washington game was the 12th game of the season. The NCAA's rule on injuries is that if you play in over 30% of your team's games, you cannot get back that year of eligibility. The Aggies went 24-10 on the season, meaning that Roland played in 35% of the games.

So as you would expect, the NCAA denied Roland's appeal.

"I appreciate all that Coach Turgeon and Texas A&M have done for me," Roland said. "Not only with this appeal, but for my career and for helping me to grow into the man I am today. I would have loved to come back for even half of a season, but it did not work out. At least I went out with my brothers -- BD & Sloan. We gave it everything we had. I will be okay."

It would have been an amazing story if the NCAA had reinstated Roland. Not just because of the incredible comeback -- just seven months after the injury, Roland is already back playing with the Aggies -- but because Roland, by all accounts, was a fantastic kid.

Think about it like this: Roland is relatively small and unathletic, but he was successful because he played harder and worked harder than everyone else. That's why he was the Aggie's leader on the court. After suffering a catastrophic, potentially career-threatening broken leg, Roland worked his way back by mid-summer, developed a new-found shooting stroke, and became the Big XII player of the year while leading the Aggie's to a conference title.

Ok, I took some creative liberties with the ending, but that story writes itself. That right there is a movie deal. Get Rob Brown to play Roland, Sean Connery to play head coach Mark Turgeon, find some way to get Denzel Washington a part in the movie, and you have a money maker.

It would be like Rudy, Coach Carter, and Remember the Titans all rolled into one. I would absolutely go to see that movie.

That said, as great as that story would have been, the NCAA made the right decision is denying Roland.

A rule is a rule. Texas A&M played 34 games, and Roland took part in 12 of them. That means he can't get an extra year of eligibility. And when you put sentiments aside, a season-ending injury is a season-ending injury. Other than how nasty the injury itself was, is there really a difference between Roland's broken leg and a torn acl? A ruptured achilles? The broken wrist that cost Ed Davis the end of his college career?

If the NCAA is going to start changing rules for the best story, they might as well go back and count Gordon Hayward's half court heave that bounced off the rim and ended to 2010 Tournament.

Yes, that comparison is drastic, I know, but you get my point.

Derrick, if you ever read this, I'm pulling for you. Its an inspirational story. I hope the best for you and your family as you chase a career as a professional basketball player.

But you're going to convince me the NCAA made the wrong decision.