Army Veteran Isaiah Brock Granted Eligibility by NCAA: Latest Comments, Reaction

The NCAA reversed course amid public pressure Monday, granting Oakland University basketball player and U.S. Army veteran Isaiah Brock his immediate eligibility. 

Jeff Goodman of ESPN reported the news, citing a school statement.

College sports' governing body had previously ruled Brock ineligible because of his high school grades. As noted by Gary Parrish of CBS Sports, Brock had a qualifying standardized test score and proved he was able to do college schoolwork.

However, his high school transcripts from five years ago put him below eligibility guidelines. Oakland appealed the NCAA's decision on the grounds it was unfair to base its decision on transcripts from 2011.

Oakland athletic director Jeff Konya told Parrish the following: 

"

I don't want to speak for the NCAA, but I think they put an emphasis on Isaiah Brock in 2011 and what his credentials at that time would suggest. But Isaiah Brock in 2016 is a different person. He's taken college classes and passed them with a 3.0. So if the issue is that he's not prepared academically to do college work, I'd argue the proof is in the pudding.

"

Brock spent his first four years after high school graduation serving in the Army. He was stationed in Kuwait and Afghanistan, the latter leading to a stint where he saw open gunfire when a prisoner escaped.

"So we were on the boardwalk in Kandahar, where they have all of these stores," the 22-year-old said. "We work closely with Marines. So I was walking with a few Marines. And we started to hear gunfire. Then we heard an alarm go off. So we all hit the floor and locked and loaded."

The Army granted Brock a discharge in April. He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal, a National Defense Service Medal, a Global War on Terrorism Medal, an Army Service Ribbon and a Certificate of Achievement during his time in the service.

"Isaiah went and fought so that organizations like the NCAA can exist, and he did so in a way that he's now a decorated military veteran," Konya said. "It's a great story. And hopefully it has a happy ending. Hopefully common sense wins the day."

A 6'8" forward, Brock will have four years of eligibility remaining.

Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter.